"Mourning the Presidents is the first volume to examine comprehensively the mourning rituals surrounding the passing of U.S. presidents, from George Washington to George Bush Sr. This book offers a detailed and coherent look at the ways in which Americans across four centuries have grappled with grief and complex legacies and examines in depth the power of the presidency to divide or unite U.S. citizens. Through this lens, the contributors analyze the evolution of American cultural and societal norms and expose the deeply contested process of defining presidential legacies"--