THE BEST TEN
Here are the top ten presidents ranked and why they are placed where they are:
|
Here are the top ten presidents ranked and why they are placed where they are:
|
1. ABRAHAM LINCOLN (16th President, 1861-1865)
Abraham Lincoln is a man of great integrity, honesty, and strength. His presidency began with the confrontation of a great crisis in America, the country split in two. Lincoln embodied the American dream. He was born into poverty and through hard work and discipline, he rose to become the leader of a nation. Lincoln’s words also are empowering and skilled enough to be the author of more than 50 books himself. His natural strength and endurance fueled the people to keep fighting. Not only did he preserve the Union in the Civil War, he also began the movement to end slavery in the United States through the Emancipation Proclamation. He constantly suffered from personal struggles, death threats, personal tragedies, immense pressure and lack of support but he did not stop until the Confederacy was defeated. Lincoln is ranked first because he was a strong leader and a great man. Although Washington was an incredible leader in the beginning of our country, Lincoln shows incomparable characteristics and qualities which changed the course of history forever. |
2. GEORGE WASHINGTON (1st President, 1789-1797)
Unlike many presidents, George Washington was truly a man that avoided political disputes. He hated it when people divided into hostile groups, and he tried to avoid taking sides during political disagreements. During the Constitutional Convention in 1787, he contributed almost nothing to the heated debates that took place. Instead, he used his outstanding prestige to calm people down and get them back to their main job. It was no easy task, creating a new form of government for the United States would need teamwork and tremendous leadership. On paper, George Washington’s resume is far inferior to some of the other names on this list. So why is he ranked the second best ever? Simple, because George Washington was the second greatest leader that this nation has ever had. Although not all presidencies are measured on pure leadership, nor should they be, George Washington was one to unite. A man that valued the common interest of a collective group, over his political stature and likeability. Not only did he lead a far less talented, and under armed army to success, he helped establish a truly free and independent nation. A nation built on strong principles that still remain today, the United States is simply the best because of men like General Washington. |
3. THEODORE ROOSEVELT (26th President, 1901-1909)
Theodore Roosevelt is one of the finest presidents our country has ever seen. The man was a military man and knew the ins and outs of our military. This is what made him someone to be respected by others. He was the man who saved the United States from the monopolies taking over. He introduced the “Square Deal” which dealt with trusts and ended them. He opened almost all of the national parks we have today. He also had the intention of making the U.S. into a world power. He went about this by negotiating peace treaties with other countries like in the case of the Russo-Japanese War. He had the mentality of the “Big Stick Diplomacy” which helped to increase the U.S. power stance. He improved things inside the U.S. as well like our national parks and our food industry. Without him we wouldn't have the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act. He made huge strides in putting American first and fixing our problems to better the nation. |
4. THOMAS JEFFERSON ( 3rd President, 1801-1809)
One of the most significant achievements of Jefferson’s first administration was the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million in 1803. At more than 820,000 square miles, the acquisition (which included lands extending between the Mississippi River and Rocky Mountains and the Gulf of Mexico to present-day Canada) effectively doubled the size of the United States. Jefferson then commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the uncharted land, plus the area beyond, out to the Pacific Ocean. (At the time, most Americans lived within 50 miles of the Atlantic Ocean). The expedition, known today as the Corps of Discovery, lasted from 1804 to 1806 and provided valuable information about the geography, American Indian tribes and animal and plant life of the western part of the continent. Thomas Jefferson is a national icon of individual liberty and democracy. He is the author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson paved the future of America and was one of the founding fathers of our great nation. |
5. FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT (32nd President,1933-1945)
Franklin D. Roosevelt is one of the most accomplished presidents in the history of the United States. He is also the longest serving president because he kept getting re-elected. When he first became president is when the Great Depression had just hit. He was able to create the Emergency Banking Act to help the United States. During his presidency he was also able to create the Social Security System to help out the citizens of the United States. Although he did a lot of great things while he was president, his biggest was leading the United States to victory in WW II and helped save not only the United States, but the world. He was able to save the world by playing a major role in the decision making of the United States. He was able to help take down Nazi Germany. He is ranked so high because he made very few mistakes while president and served the later half of his presidency with polio. He helped make the United States successful. |
6. HARRY S. TRUMAN (33rd President, 1945-1953)
Truman was the 33rd president of the United States, assuming office after the death of Franklin Roosevelt, and won two terms. In Truman’s first few months as president, Nazi Germany surrendered. But to end the war in the Pacific, Truman had to take drastic measures and decided to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Soon after, the Cold War began. This is when Truman introduced the Truman Doctrine, which provide aid to Greece and Turkey in an effort to protect them from communist aggression. That same year, Truman also instituted the Marshall Plan, which gave billions of dollars in aid to help stimulate economic recovery in European nations. Truman then airlifted food and other supplies to the sectors of Berlin and Germany that were being held captive the Soviets. After winning the Cold War, he had the unfortunate task of bringing America back into a peacetime economy. There were many shortages and strikes which led to a lowering of his approval ratings. He campaigned for his second term courageously though, and beat Dewey. In his second term he initiated the Fair Deal which included national medical insurance, federal housing programs, a higher minimum wage, assistance for farmers, repeal of the Taft-Hartley Labor Act, increases in Social Security and civil rights reforms. He was still focused on communism and supported the creation of NATO (military alliance of democratic nations). When North Korea invaded South Korea, Truman sent South Korea aid. This ultimately helped the South keep their independence. Also, he recognized Israel as a state. Truman had many accomplishments during his presidency specifically the Truman Deal and the Monroe Doctrine. He courageously took the role as President after Roosevelt’s death and made gargantuan decisions regarding the war (specifically the atomic bomb predicament). He is ranked high because of these accomplishments. |
7. DWIGHT EISENHOWER (34th President, 1953-1961)
Dwight D. Eisenhower was overall a very successful president. While America enjoyed a time of relative prosperity, Eisenhower strengthened Social Security, continued most of the New Deal and Fair Deal programs put in place by F. Roosevelt and Truman, increased minimum wage and created the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. In 1956, Eisenhower created the Interstate Highway System, the single largest public works program in U.S. history, which constructed 41,000 miles of roads across the country. During Eisenhower’s first term, Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy’s anti-Communist crusade violated the civil liberties of many citizens. To preserve party unity, Eisenhower refrained from publicly criticizing McCarthy, though he privately disliked the senator and worked behind the scenes to diminish McCarthy’s influence and eventually discredit him. In 1954, in the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled that school segregation was unconstitutional. Eisenhower believed that desegregation should proceed slowly, and was reluctant to use his presidential authority to back up the enforcement of the Court’s verdict, though he did send federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957 to enforce integration of a high school there. Eisenhower did sign civil rights legislation in 1957 and 1960 providing federal protection for black voters. |
8. RONALD REAGAN (40th President, 1981-1989)
Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States, and entered the presidency when America was in a state of economic turmoil. In the first two months of his new job, he survived an assassination attempt, but was back to work in no time. Reagan wanted the people to be out of the grasp of the federal government, so he implemented tax cuts. He also advocated for increased military spending and measures to deregulate businesses. The economy soon began to recover, and Reagan's popularity began to prosper (even though some critics say that his tax cuts favored the rich and added to the national debt). Reagan also appointed the first women to the US Supreme Court. Regarding foreign affairs, Reagan initiated the Reagan Doctrine. This provided aid to anti-communist movements in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In 1983, Reagan announced the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), a plan to develop space-based weapons to protect America from attacks by Soviet nuclear missiles. Reagan sent 800 U.S. Marines to Lebanon as part of an international peacekeeping force after Israel invaded that nation. During his second term, Reagan forged a diplomatic relationship with the reform-minded Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-), who became leader of the Soviet Union in 1985. In 1987, the Americans and Soviets signed a historic agreement to eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles. That same year, Reagan spoke at Germany’s Berlin Wall, a symbol of communism, and famously challenged Gorbachev to tear it down. Even though there was some trouble with the economy at the beginning of his term, Reagan did accomplish many tasks regarding foreign affairs (specifically with communism). He is ranked high because of these accomplishments and his perseverance during his presidency. |
9. JOHN F. KENNEDY (35th President, 1961-1963)
John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States. He served for a little less than three years due to him being assassinated. Even though his presidency was short, he accomplished a lot of great things. His presidency was during the Cold War and he mostly tried to fix relations with the Soviet Union. One of his failures was the Cuba and the Bay of Pigs Invasion. This led to many people being captured and held hostage. He was also president during the Cuban Missile crisis and dealt with the sticky situation of standing up to the U.S.S.R. in a correct manner. JFK also started the Peace Corps while in office which is a group that is still around to this day. One of his major downfalls though was that he ultimately started the Vietnam War, which ended up being a giant mistake. Overall, he did a pretty good job as president other than one big mistake. |
10. LYNDON B. JOHNSON (36th President, 1963-1969)
Lyndon Johnson is a man of mystery. Some people hold him to high esteem, while others believe he was an awful president. Disregarding controversies and conspiracies, Johnson was an effective and impactful head of the US office. Some of the programs Johnson championed were Medicare, Head Start, the Voting Rights Act, and the Civil Rights Act. These programs were called the “Great Society.” His presidency left a profound impact on health care, education, and civil rights. After he took office, Johnson declared a war on poverty. He actively pushed Congress to pass legislation attacking illiteracy, unemployment, and racial discrimination. Even with his successes, Johnson’s presidency was marred by the Vietnam War. Like the three presidents before him, Johnson believed that he must stop the spreading of communism. With this belief came the escalating of troops from 16,000 to 500,000. Johnson’s popularity declined with the increase of casualties. He decided then to not run for re-election. Johnson was a very impactful and influential US leader. He had many successes that involved the betterment of the country. He also had a huge loss which overtook his achievements. In conclusion, he made major changes in the country that we believe were beneficial but also encouraged one of the greatest losses America faced. |