Gerald R. Ford. Ford was selected and confirmed as the vice President on December 6, 1973, while he was a US Congressman, after the resignation of Vice president Spiro T. Agnew. Ford then became President on August 9, 1974 with the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon.

(Ford ran for reelection but was defeated by Jimmy Carter in 1976, so he was never elected President or vice president.)

General George Washington (1732-1799) was the first President of the United States of America under the US Constitution. He was elected in 1787 and again in 1792 and served as President from April 30,1789 until March 4, 1797.

The Hanson argument--

Sometimes, John Hanson is referred to as the first US president due to his ancestors' success of convincing the Maryland Legislature that he was the first President to serve under the articles of Confederation--- but that is NOT the same as the elected President of the US. The Hanson Family's lobbying effort was so complete that in 1903 Maryland included his statue, as one of two, allocated for each state in the US Capitol's Statuary Hall. Although Hanson served as President of the United States Congress Assembled, under the Articles of Confederation, , this was very different from that of a modern-day U.S. Presidency. Moreover, Hanson was actually the third President of the United States in Congress Assembled. The Articles of Confederation Presidency lineage as follows:

• Samuel Huntington was the first President of the United States in Congress Assembled. This was under the Articles of Confederation, March 1, 1781 to July 6, 1781.
• Thomas McKean was the second President of the United States in Congress Assembled elected on July 10th, 1781 and served until November 4th, 1781.
• John Hanson was the third President of the United States in Congress Assembled. He was elected by the United States in Congress Assembled Delegates on November 5, 1781 to November 4, 1782. He was the first President to serve a full one year term under the Articles of Confederation.

Attributed to George Washington was that it takes the stars from the heavens, and the red from our mother country, separated by white stripes, and the white stripes would mean liberty.

More input from WikiAnswers Contributors:

• The thirteen stripes represent the original thirteen colonies. The colors have a different meaning. White represents courage and red represents the blood shed.

• The number of the stripes - 13 - signifies the 13 colonies of the time. The red, historically, represents the British while the white stripes cutting through the red is a political statement against Great Britain and its rule over the colonies. You will find that many flags of the time, including the flag of George Rogers Clark carried the tradition of intersected red fields.

• What I have found about what do the "colors" represent, are: Red-Hardiness, courage, White-Purity, innocence, Blue-Vigilance, perseverance, and justice.

• The web page ushistory.org gave me information about the Flag. It is said that the stars were taken from the sky, the red was inspired by the British colors, and the white stripes indicate secession from the home country. Yet, there is no official meaning for the colors of the flag.

• The red, white, and blue colors on the American flag represent philosophical values. Red: Blood, war, and courage. Blue: Justice and Freedom. White: Purity.

• The thirteen stripes represent the original thirteen colonies. The colors have different meanings. White means courage and red means bloodshed.

• Well, the 13 stripes represent the original 13 colonies of the U.S.A.. It used to be 1 stripe and star for each state, but with each new state that joined, another stripe and star had to be added. Eventually, there were so many stripes, it was decided that there would be only 13 stripes to honor the first 13 colonies and just a star for each state.

• June 14, 1777, congress declares the flag should have thirteen white stars in a blue background and thirteen alternate red and white stripes. The red means hardiness and valor. White signifies purity and innocence. Blue is the color of the Chief. The star symbolizes heaven and the goal all man have been striving for. The stripe is a ray of light from the sun.

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln are depicted on Mount Rushmore in that order from left to right.

George Washington, (1st president) led the early colonial army in the American Revolutionary War to win independence from Great Britain. Because of his importance and his role in creating the United States, Washington is the most prominent figure on the mountain. (1732-1799)

Thomas Jefferson, (3rd president) he was the author of the Declaration of Independence, a document which inspires democracies around the world. He also purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803 which doubled the size of our country, adding all or part of fifteen present-day states. (1743-1826)

Theodore Roosevelt, (26th president) provided leadership when America experienced rapid economic growth as it entered the 20th Century. He was instrumental in negotiating the construction of the Panama Canal, linking the east and the west. He was known as the "trust buster" for his work to end large corporate monopolies and ensure the rights of the common working man. He is also the leading land conservationist in world history, setting aside over 230 million acres for conservation purposes. (1858-1919)

Abraham Lincoln, (16th president) held the nation together during its greatest trial, the Civil War. Lincoln believed his most sacred duty was the preservation of the union. His efforts put an end to slavery. (1809-1865).

The 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies that formed the US.

The original act of Congress said that the flag of the thirteen United States would have thirteen stripes, alternated with red and white, and the union would be thirteen stars, white in a field of blue, representing a new constellation. The stripes represented the 13 states of the Union.

Attributed to George Washington was that it takes the stars from the heavens, and the red from our mother country, separated by white stripes, and the white stripes would mean liberty.

As new states were added, a stripe and star was added for each state, But when the flag reached 15 stars and stripes, it was reverted so that the stripes remain at 13 to honor the first 13 colonies and a star is added for each state.

More input from WikiAnswers Contributors:

• The thirteen stripes represent the original thirteen colonies. The colors have a different meaning. White represents courage and red represents the blood shed.

• The number of the stripes - 13 - signifies the 13 colonies of the time. The red, historically, represents the British while the white stripes cutting through the red is a political statement against Great Britain and its rule over the colonies. You will find that many flags of the time, including the flag of George Rogers Clark carried the tradition of intersected red fields.

• What I have found about what do the "colors" represent, are: Red-Hardiness, courage, White-Purity, innocence, Blue-Vigilance, perseverance, and justice.

• The web page ushistory.org gave me information about the Flag. It is said that the stars were taken from the sky, the red was inspired by the British colors, and the white stripes indicate secession from the home country. Yet, there is no official meaning for the colors of the flag.

• The red, white, and blue colors on the American flag represent philosophical values. Red: Blood, war, and courage. Blue: Justice and Freedom. White: Purity.

• The thirteen stripes represent the original thirteen colonies. The colors have different meanings. White means courage and red means bloodshed.

• June 14, 1777, congress declares the flag should have thirteen white stars in a blue background and thirteen alternate red and white stripes. The red means hardiness and valor. White signifies purity and innocence. Blue is the color of the Chief. The star symbolizes heaven and the goal all man have been striving for. The stripe is a ray of light from the sun.

At the federal level, the word, "Congressman" is often used to denote a member

of the House of Representatives. There are 435 seats in the House of Representatives. Each state is allotted at least one representative and the rest are divided according to population as recorded in the most recent national census. (The US Congress also includes the US Senate which has 100 members, two from each state regardless of population. )

The US has a much higher human development index (HDI), which it ranks 4th compared to China which ranks 101st. However, prevalence of HIV/AIDS and obesity among adults in the US is 6 times and 12 times more than of that in China respectively. The average life expectancy in China stands at 74.8 years, slightly lower than 78.4 years in the US, which can be attributed to higher incomes and better healthcare in the US.

The US is one of the world's most ethnically-diverse and multicultural nations due to large-scale immigration from countries all over the world. Migration rates in the US stand at 3.62/1000 people, in stark contrast to China's which is -0.33/1000 people. And even though China has a lower urbanization percentage at 51.3% as compared to 82.0% in the US, it has a higher urbanization rate of 2.3% to 1.2% of the US'.

China's literacy rate of 95.9% is also sightly lower than the US' 99.0%. In the 2009 international PISA test taken by 15-years-old students, Chinese students have shocked the world by topping the scores in all reading, math and science subjects, while the Americans ranked in the middle range, a position they have held for a long time. This can be attributed to the hardworking attitudes of the Chinese.

Due to the one-child policy that has been implemented in China since 1970 to prevent its population from exerting huge strains on the country's limited resources, the population growth rate in China is at a shockingly low figure of 0.481% as compared to 0.899% in the US. A social mindset which favours males over females has also resulted in an imbalanced sex ratio of 1.17 males for every female under the age of 15 in China as compared to 1.05 males per female in the US. Forced abortions of female foetuses occur comparatively frequently, especially in rural areas of China where people still hold on to outdated thinkings like favouritism for males.

Even though China's main political party is called 'The Communist Party of China (CPC)', China's model is one of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and has embraced capitalism fervently. This has no doubt caused much misconceptions about the Chinese social and political model, with many retaining the thinking that China is communist or even a dictatorship.

The CPC is the world's largest political party comprising of approximately 80 million members nationwide. Leaders are replaced and the cabinet is reshuffled once in a decade, with the President and Premier and other members of the Politburo Standing Committee being elected internally by top party members instead of the citizens.

China has vowed to bring about political reforms, but stated that its priority is currently economic reforms. Small democratic experiments have been made at the local level, with elections for the village committee members being held. One notable example would be the southern Chinese fishing village of Wukan in Guangdong Province. The CPC has also dedicated Shenzhen, a miracle of economic reform, as the first mainland city to hold democratic elections in a bid for political reform.

On the other hand, the US is one of the world's most democratic nations, with the two main political parties being the Republican and the Democratic Parties. The President of the United States is being elected by the people every term, which lasts four years. This model of governance is being exported and encouraged in other developing nations, especially in the wake of the Arab Spring. This sometimes-intrusive replication of the democratic model without regard for local historical and cultural contexts results in many conflicts between locals and Americans, which partly explains the hostile sentiments of muslims in the Middle Eastern states towards Americans.

The United States is far more superior when concerning nuclear weapons and has a much higher budget for military. China is raising its military expenditure year-on-year in a bid to catch up with the US' superiority in military technology.

The result of war pitched between these two superpowers remains inconclusive, though many agree that both could completely wipe out every other country on Earth with a snap of their fingers due to their huge nuclear arsenal. In this, they are usually considered to be equal.

From the fall of the Qing Dynasty to the Mao era, China underwent a series of industrial revolutions in an attempt to catch up with western powers. However, there were many obstacles and failed policies that did not result in the emergence of a strong economy during that time, for example, the Japanese invasion during World War II and Mao Zedong's 'Great Leap Forward'.

After the Mao era, Deng Xiaoping, Mao's successor, initiated a series of economic reforms in the 1980s, introducing a free market system and abolishing government control on the matter. This vastly improved the standards of living in China.

In the US, economic freedom had always been in place, allowing it to prosper and advance dramatically. In comparison to China, the United States only had one industrial revolution. However, it was enough to push it to a superpower level next to Great Britain in the 1800s.

The gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States, both total and per capita, remains substantially higher than China's. However, the labor force, growth rate, and rate of unemployment in China is significantly better than in the United States.

The United States also has a substantially higher national debt than China. Its federal reserves of gold are also lower than China and it tends to import more than it exports, resulting in an unfavorable trade balance. In contrast, China exports more than it imports, has little national debt, and has lower government expenditures. However, the United States outranks China in all energy resource productions.

China also holds the world's largest foreign-exchange reserves, standing at US$3.24 trillion as of Jun 2012. This is in stark contrast to the US' US$150 billion.

On the individual level, the US far outstrips China in terms of the number of High Net Worth Individuals (HWNIs). The US has 412 billionaires and 3,068,000 millionaires while China has only 95 billionaires and 562,000 millionaires in 2011. However, due to macroeconomic effects of both countries, the growth rate of number of HWNIs in China races ahead, with a 5.0% growth from 2010 to 2011, while the US suffered a decline in number of HWNIs during the same period.

The United States has a much higher GDP per capita as compared to China. Due to the fact that the US has less than 25% of China's population and a little less than 3 times of China's GDP, the US has a GDP per capita of more than 10 times that of China. As such, for China to overtake the US in terms of GDP per capita, it would have to raise its GDP to more than 4 times that of the US. As a result, it would most likely experience an unusual phenomenon: It will exist as both a developed and developing country at the same time, based on total GDP and GDP per capita respectively.

There are various discussions on the environmental impacts due to industrialization. In 2007, China overtook the US to become the world's largest emitter of all greenhouse gases, also in top place for emissions of sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, CFCs and other ozone depleting substances. China has also overtaken the US to become the world's largest oil consumer in 2010. According to the World Bank, China is home to 20 of the 30 most polluted cities in the world, due to unhealthily large amounts of emissions by factories, motor vehicles and coal mining, with the most polluted city, Linfen, located in China. Loose environmental laws and regulations are also to blame.

However, China has been investing heavily in green technology. In 2010, China overtook the US in terms of green investment. Its green investment expands in all fields. It currently has the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest dam in terms of energy production, and Dabancheng Wind Farm, the largest wind farm in Asia. It is planning the world's largest solar farm in Qinghai, made significant improvements in green vehicles and came up with tight transport regulations such as the one on car usage in Beijing.

It must also be noted that China has a population of more than 4 times that of the US, so in terms of emissions per capita, such as carbon dioxide, the US, although not top in the world, is about 4 times that of China's. Moreover, China, dubbed the factory of the world, houses factories from all around the world. This means that emissions are exported to China from developed countries in the form of factories, and it is reported to make up about 40% of all emissions.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was the only U.S. President elected to four terms: 1932, 1936, 1940 and 1944. He died on April 12, 1945, only three months into his fourth term, and was succeeded by his Vice President, Harry Truman.

On February 27, 1951, almost 7 years after FDR's death, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was ratified essentially limiting the term of the U.S. President to two 4-year terms.* Prior to the 22nd Amendment, there was no limit on the number of terms a President could service. Prior to FDR, Presidents followed a precedent set by George Washington to only serve two terms, even though they were not required to limit themselves.

*The 22nd Amendment actually allows an individual to serve a maximum of 10 years as President, but they can only be elected as President for 2 terms. In order for an individual to serve as President for 10 years, they would have to first be Vice President and assume the Presidency with less than 2 years remaining of the outgoing President's term, and then win 2 terms as President.