George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Barack Obama - they are all prominent political figures in US history. Each of them made a certain contribution to the development and heritage of the state.

And so the students of the International University for the Humanities and Development had a chance to witness the political discussion of these American leaders with their own eyes.

Employees of the US Embassy in Turkmenistan embodied their images to the best of their ability, celebrating together with the students of the Turkmen university the President's Day held annually in the states. Although, in passing, we note that this holiday was officially established in honor of the birthday of the first president, statesman and politician of the United States, George Washington.

“We have gathered at the International University for the Humanities and Development to tell Turkmen students about the culture and leaders of the United States, in particular, the presidents. Leadership is a vision of the world. It is also about the ability to remain resilient in difficult times, to solve common problems for the whole nation,” US Ambassador to Turkmenistan Matthew Steven Klimow told an ORIENT correspondent before the meeting.

“And in order to consider this experience,” the ambassador continued, “we decided to focus on four presidents—George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and Barack Obama.

…The holding of such an event within the walls of the International University for the Humanities and Development is not accidental. Education here is based on the improvement of students' English.

Already in the foyer of the institution, you can see exhibits and attributes associated with the ex-owners of the White House, which was the official residence of all US presidents, with the exception of George Washington, who held this position from 1789 to 1797, since the White House did not yet exist under him.

Opening the event, Ambassador Klimow acknowledged the outstanding role of every president who has left an indelible mark on the history of the United States. According to him, the mentioned presidents are different personalities, but all of them are united by a landmark for the future of America.

During the meeting, the floor was given to the characters themselves.

"George Washington" - the first popularly elected president of the United States of America, one of the founding fathers of the United States - said the following:

I have held this position for two terms. Many years later, historians recognized my reign as extremely significant for the development of the United States, as it had a great influence on the formation of the national identity of our multinational people.

… The students listened attentively to the story that one of the first steps taken by George Washington as president of the country was the creation of such an administrative structure that became the basis for the modern system of US government. He also played an important role in the creation of the US Constitution, which became, according to American historians, the foundation of their democracy.

Participant in the Revolutionary War and creator of the American presidency, George Washington was a supporter of free trade and supported the creation of a national currency, which made it possible to strengthen the economic stability of the country.

...In the presidium of IUHD, there is another participant in the meeting with students - "Abraham Lincoln". He, who at one time became the 16th president of the United States, spoke about the fact that he led the country during a very difficult period when the country was engulfed in civil war.

Among his credits is that he ended slavery by signing the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. This was a huge step in the fight for human rights and equality, which is considered one of Lincoln's most significant achievements.

And after "Lincoln" the conversation was continued by "Franklin Roosevelt". He told the students about his major achievements, including the New Deal program he launched in response to the Great Depression, an economic crisis that swept America and then other countries. The New Deal included many initiatives to support the economy, create jobs and fight poverty.

... "Barack Obama", who served as head of state from 2009 to 2017, spoke about the reform in the healthcare sector, which was called the "Affordable Care Act". These transformations provided US citizens with universal health coverage for the first time, enabling millions of people to access health care.

…During the meeting, the Turkmen students had the opportunity to ask questions to the “presidents” of the United States.

So, for example, one of the young people asked "Franklin Roosevelt" why he was elected president four times?

“Do I look bad for that?” - immediately followed by an answer, supported by merry laughter and applause from students.

After him, another president - "Abraham Lincoln" - began to talk aloud that he was the best president of the United States, since it was he who was able to lead the country out of the most difficult period in its history. And this opinion, according to Lincoln, is shared by many historians who lived after him.

Roosevelt immediately objected to him:

− Everyone understands perfectly well which of us is the best head of the United States, because it was I who was elected president four times!

And Lincoln had his own arguments on this matter:

“Unfortunately, they killed me!” Otherwise, I could serve more!

... In such an informal, full of humor and, at the same time, informative atmosphere, a meeting of IUHD students with four presidents of the United States, who lived in different historical periods of this country, took place.

As another test of the propaedeutic course, not only on American history, but also, as Ambassador Klimow said, “on leadership and responsibility,” quotes from US presidents began to appear on the interactive screen. Students were asked to determine which of them belonged to these statements. For the correct answer, memorable gifts prepared by the embassy employees were awarded.

At the end of all events, US Ambassador Matthew Klimow visited the university library, where he donated to the university educational materials about US presidents in English.

ORIENT