Project aims were to learn what college freshmen knew of the late 19th and 20th century presidents and to determine the students' writing level. During the first class of each of five semesters, students enrolled in an American History Since 1865 course were asked to write one paragraph about any president in the time period 1865-1981. Due to time constraints, the report contains summaries of student evaluations of four presidents only: Richard M. Nixon (the most written about president in the study); John F. Kennedy (ranked second in student selection); Harry S. Truman (included to achieve political balance--two Democrats and two Republicans); and Theodore Roosevelt (included because he is not in the students' immediate historical tradition). Students believe that Nixon's foreign policy achievements will ultimately overshadow his participation in Watergate and that historians will finally judge him as a great president. Kennedy is viewed as a hero and an outstanding leader. Truman is known for his honesty and decision making. Roosevelt is viewed as a forceful leader in foreign and domestic affairs. If the papers were graded on the quality of written English, as a whole they would receive a grade of C- to D+. (RM)