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It may surprise some, but in the United States you don’t have to have a higher education to be eligible for head of state. There is no educational requirement for candidates for president in the United States Constitution. However, this has not meant that the United States has had poorly educated presidents. In fact, there’s a pretty strong trend in recent years that no recent US president lacks a higher education. In fact, all of them went to the most prestigious universities in the country.
At first glance, it could be said that the list is varied, but the truth is that of the forty-six individuals who have presided over that country to date (2021), most of them graduated from some institution. It is even said that this has influenced the public’s favorable perception of university education.
the first presidents
The father of the nation, George Washington, was a surveyor. This was an important trade at that historical moment, since the country was quite rural and that skill linked to the economy was a tool to launch a government in a territory of these dimensions. More than a dozen of those first rulers without academic titles are considered, from a political level, great representatives in the construction of a great nation.
Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, and Harry S. Truman, who left well-recognized marks on American culture and history, did not earn any type of college certification. This does not mean that they have not attended educational activities; this is the case of Truman, who attended law courses at what was then the Kansas City University of Law.
Why didn’t some presidents get a college education?
Some of them definitely did not need a university education and at first glance it is seen that they were chosen for their leadership and relevance during the historical events during which they lived; this is the case, for example, of the presidents who participated in the American Revolution. It was more important how they had performed up to that point than what prospect they might present to the Electoral College if they had been more carefully educated.
These are some of the presidents who did not have a degree (higher education). In addition, we highlight the most obvious reasons why this was not necessary for your performance.
George Washington
Although his formal education ended abruptly due to the death of his father, George Washington officially became a surveyor by becoming certified with the College of William and Mary. Because he strongly believed in formal education, he left in his will assets to support three educational institutions.
James Monroe
James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States of America, entered the College of William and Mary but dropped out after a year and a half to join the Third Virginia Regiment during the American Revolution.
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson studied law with the help of several lawyers. He was able to qualify for a law firm in his time, which made him an ideal candidate to preside over the fledgling country.
martin van buren
He also had a mentorship education similar to Jackson’s but didn’t go as far as he did. Both had early political careers.
william henry harrison
He began attending Hampden-Sydney College at age 14 for three years. He then studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania for one semester.
Zachary Taylor
He was a military man with no university education of any kind and, to be honest, little political experience.
Joining the list are Millard Fillmore, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, and Harry S. Truman.
Requirements to occupy the presidency of the United States
According to article II of the Constitution of the United States, the requirements to be president are: to be a citizen born in the United States; be at least 35 years of age and have been a resident of the United States for the past 14 years. However, currently, the “unofficial” requirements are much more demanding, since the candidate must win the vote of citizens who have great academic achievements and would not agree with someone with less education or political career than themselves governing.
References
- Duyckinck, E. (1867). Lives and Portraits of the Presidents of the United States : From Washington to Grant. Available at: https://books.google.co.ve/books?id=-ulBAAAAYAAJ&dq
- Redondo, J. (2015). America’s Presidents: From Washington to Obama . Available at: https://books.google.co.ve/books?id=ZdGtCAAAQBAJ&dq
