The Top 5 U.S. Presidents Of All Time
Honorable Mentions
John F. Kennedy
I lot of people expected JFK to be on my most overrated video, but that wasn't going to happen because I rank JFK quite high, although I couldn't quite put him in the top 5, mainly because he served as President less than 3 years before he was assassinated, causing him to fail to accomplish some of his goals. But during the time he did serve, JFK still accomplished a ton and was perhaps the most inspiring president of the 20th century. He inspired the entire nation regarding the Space Race, and his speech alone was a huge factor in the U.S. successfully getting a man to the moon before the end of the 60's. He did have one major blunder in the Bay of Pigs incident, but used that experience to handle an even scarier situation better - the Cuban Missile Crisis. JFK narrowly avoided all out nuclear war during the intense situation. He was the first President since Lincoln to make serious progress towards true civil rights, and, had he never been assassinated, would have gotten the Civil Rights Act passed that eventually was passed under his Vice President, Lyndon B. Johnson. He likely would not have escalated the war in Vietnam had he lived as well, but whatever would have happened after his death could be considered pure speculation. But, during his time as President, JFK proved to be a capable leader, and despite some flaws, he was a fantastic President.
Ulysses S. Grant
Grant doesn't quite make the Top 5, but I've always respected what he tried to accomplish as President, even though it did not all come to fruition. He was of course a famous Civil War General whose aggressive and brilliant strategy helped lead the north to victory. But, how was he was a President? Perhaps not as great as he was as a Civil War General, but Grant was more than competent. He was one of the few Presidents of the 19th Century who took serious measures to promote racial harmony and equal rights, working to get the 15th amendment passed, allowing all Americans including former slaves to vote or even run for office. He passed several enforcement acts to try and get people to follow new civil rights laws, but if they failed, it was due to the amount of racism in not only many of the general population, but also other leaders - mayors and governors who encouraged the breaking of these laws. Grant still fought hard for equal rights and successfully took out the Ku Klux Klan, who would not emerge again until after Grant's death. He focused on helping Native Americans as well, and even appointed an American Indian, Ely S. Parker, as commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He took measures to improve the post-war economy and worked well with others, understanding he himself was not a financial expert. Unfortunately, he took his trust too far, which led to some scandals. Grant handled foreign affairs well, working hard to maintain peace despite multiple conflicts which could have led to war. But I mostly respect Grant for his noble attempts to create a truly free United States of America, even though he was not always successful; I'm not sure anybody could have been at that time. Had more of the post Civil War Presidents been more like Grant instead of like Andrew Johnson, we may have gotten an effective Civil Rights Bills passed long before the 1960's.
James K. Polk
A somewhat forgotten President who accomplished a lot in just one term was #11, James K. Polk. He has fallen quite a bit in Presidential Rankings lately, possibly due to him being a slave owner and the disciple of the horribly racist Andrew Jackson. Polk was certainly racist as well, an even picked up the nickname, "Young Hickory," to compliment Jackson's nickname of "Old Hickory.”
Nevertheless, Polk was extremely effective and efficient during his one and only term, and did one thing that many politicians struggle with - he kept his campaign promises. He laid out four main goals of his presidency - reestablishing the Independent Treasury System, reducing tariffs, negotiating Oregon Country with England and pushing the U.S. further westward by acquiring California and New Mexico. He said he would do it all in four years, and that's all he would need. Most Americans were skeptical.
Polk achieved all four goals. Congress reestablished the Independent Treasury System, which turned out to be a success. He fought hard to get the Walker Tariff enacted, reducing tariffs to one of the lowest the country had ever seen. Regarding Oregon Country, Polk demanded a massive amount of land from Great Britain, while expecting he would have to settle for less. The negotiation was intense and could have led to war, but an agreement was eventually reached, with the dividing line placed along the 49th parallel. Polk successfully obtained Oregon country without a war, and this led to the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho.
Unfortunately, the final goal would not be reached without some bloodshed, and this is why Polk fails to make the top 5. Mexico had failed to repay a $4.5 million debt to the U.S. and Polk offered to cancel the debt if they would sell California and New Mexico for $25 million. Mexico refused. Afterwards, Polk sent troops to Texas to try and settle a dispute over territorial boundaries near the Rio Grande, provoking the Mexican military to defend what they considered their land. When some American soldiers were killed, Polk rallied the country towards war, claiming Mexico had invaded the U.S. and killed our troops on U.S. soil. From the point of view of the Mexicans, though, it was the U.S. who were invading Mexico.
Instead of continuing negotiations to buy the land he wanted, he got Congress to declare war and the Mexican American War kicked off. The U.S. eventually won, and under Polk, the shape of the United States as we know it was essentially formed. However, over 50,000 people died during a war that Polk rushed into. He was a strong leader throughout, and the U.S. were victorious in every battle. Polk won the war, achieved every one of his goals and as promised, did not run for a second term, explaining it wasn't necessary - he already did everything he set out to do.
Polk certainly was a ruthless proponent of Manifest Destiny and was in a hurry to go to war to get the territory he wanted, but Mexico did default on their debt and did fire the first shots. Once those shots were fired and U.S. soldiers were killed, Polk had at least had some legitimate reason to go to war, although he could've made at least some effort to avoid it. The Mexican American War and his Jacksonian racist policies and behavior keep him out of the Top 5. Speaking of the Top 5, let's get into it now.
5. Grover Cleveland
A rare honest politician, Grover Cleveland worked day and night to accomplish his goals, one of which was always getting rid of corruption and another, simply improving the lives of the American people. He worked his way up from a local sheriff to mayor to governor and eventually, the 22nd President of the United States. Fighting corruption was his #1 goal, and he vetoed more bills than another previous President by far, rejecting anything he felt had an ounce of crookedness. He nullified fraudulent grants and rejected corrupt measures, which continued to make his popularity rise. He even refrained from firing the previous cabinet members - if they were doing a good job, he kept them, even if they were the opposite political party. He also took measures to help Native Americans, although not all of it turned out to be effective or popular, but his intents were always to help them.
He helped to enact the Interstate Commerce Commission, regulating railroads and eliminating rate discrimination, keep rates fair for everybody traveling by railroad or bus. He was not overly ambitious regarding foreign affairs and chose to not get involved unless absolutely necessary. He wasn't interested in unnecessary territorial expansion, and squashed treaties and proposals that would have expanded U.S. interests in other territories, as war and needless deaths could have been the result. He did have to involve himself in some foreign affairs, of course, but always moved with caution. He helped to negotiate a treaty with Great Britain over fishing rights off the coast of Alaska, for example. Cleveland was able to avoid wars and major conflicts, but still ensured a strong military and oversaw important modernization and advancements that would help strengthen the defensive abilities of the country.
He unfortunately lost in his re-election campaign, but after one term of Benjamin Harrison, Grover Cleveland won a second non-consecutive term. This second term was defined by a serious panic that Cleveland could do nothing to avoid, and a violent railroad strike, which forced Cleveland to issue an injunction to ensure Federal Mail could be delivered. Although crushing the strike was unpopular, Cleveland had no choice and, even during his less successful second term, continued to fight corruption and do whatever he could for the people, working tirelessly to be the best leader he could be. So, Grover Cleveland comes in at #5 on my top 5 U.S. Presidents of All Time.
4. Theodore Roosevelt
In competition with Andrew Jackson as the toughest and roughest President in U.S. history is Teddy Roosevelt, who like Jackson, cared about the common man, but unlike Jackson, never led a massive genocide against a group of innocent people. Growing up, no one would have expected little Teddy to amount so much, as he suffered asthma attacks and was generally in poor health. But he figured out hard work and exercise helped his symptoms and began to vigorously work out and aside from physical work and a career as a boxer, he also dove into books, and become an excellent student.
He ended up at Harvard, studying Natural History, then went to law school, and of course eventually entered politics, moving up to Governor of New York, then Vice President under William McKinley. When McKinely was assassinated in 1901, Roosevelt became President, then won another term in the Election of 1904. He was a hands-on President, who worked day and night to make the lives of Americans better for the time being and for the future. Roosevelt knew how to work with others, negotiate, and simply make things happen. He was accessible to the media and provided interviews and photo opportunities at the White House, giving the press access they had never enjoyed before.
One of his first priorities was preserving the environment and he was able to set aside 150 million acres of forest for preservation. He signed the 1906 Antiquities Act, which proclaimed 18 new U.S. National Monuments and doubled the number of national parks.
Another one of his goals was to regulate the railroad rates after years of merchant complaints. He worked to get an act negotiated and passed, the Hepburn Act, which was a positive step towards regulating the industry. He also took action against food and drug companies, preventing them from adding harmful chemicals while forcing them to correctly label their products with the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 and the Pure Food and Drug Act.
He became the first President to successfully intervene to end a labor dispute, when in May of 1902, anthracite coal miners went on strike for better pay, shorter work days, and the recognition of their union, threatening to shut down the supply of winter fuel for millions of Americans. Teddy Roosevelt knew the threat was serious, saying "A coal famine in the winter is an ugly thing and I fear we shall see terrible suffering and grave disaster." He worked as a direct mediator and negotiated a deal that made both sides happy, ending the strike in October, just in time before winter.
He fought for the common man, but also recognized the importance of big businesses, which were important for jobs and the economy. However, he also made sure these businesses did not form massive monopolies, where they would pay their workers less and charge whatever they wanted for their products or services. He was known as a "trust-buster" and aggressively used the 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act, which previous Presidents had mostly ignored, to prosecute these "bad trusts", dismantling monopolies and forcing them to split into smaller companies which would compete with each other, promoting a fair marketplace while protecting consumers and improving worker's pay.
He even got involved in sports, implementing new rules into American Football, inventing the forward pass and making the sport safer after multiple deaths during the 1905 season. This enabled it to better grow as a sport and it of course eventually became mainstream and is now probably the most popular sport in the United States. You can thank Teddy Roosevelt for that.
Perhaps biggest accomplishment was the creation of the Panama Canal, a 48-mile long waterway that connects the Pacific to the Atlantic, creating a much needed shortcut for ships. It saved time, money, and lives as now the hazardous route around the southern tip of South American could be avoided. However, there was some bad that came with the Panama Canal and much of Teddy Roosevelt's foreign policy can be rightfully criticized. He believed the U.S. needed to be a global power whose influence should be felt everywhere, and this meant often intervening in the affairs of others - his big stick policy. He did win a Nobel Peace Prize for stepping in and helping to end the Russo-Japanese War, using his skills as a mediator and negotiator. However, he also overstepped in Central America and the Caribbean, intervening to stabilize their economies in threatening ways that often involved the deployment of the military, causing the Banana Wars to expand and intensify.
But, by and large, Teddy Roosevelt was one of the greatest Presidents ever as helped shape the powers of the modern executive branch and his ability to work tirelessly to accomplish his goals, compromise with others, and make life better for his people was unmatched by any other President in the 20th Century.
3. Abraham Lincoln
Up next is Abraham Lincoln, who played an incredibly vital role in saving the union and helping create a nation where all men are truly created equal. After a string of very poor Presidents including southern sympathizers James Buchanan and Franklin Pierce, the country was on the verge of Civil War when Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860. Lincoln was born into poverty in Kentucky, but educated himself, became a lawyer, then an U.S. Representative of Illinois. Lincoln was opposed to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which allowed Kansas, previously a territory where slavery would not be allowed, to decide for themselves whether or not it would be permitted. This led to horrific violence called Bleeding Kansas, and it also encouraged Lincoln to seek higher office. He became the leader of the new Republican Party and was elected President with support across the entirety of the north.
Southerners felt threatened and one by one, states began to secede from the Union to form the Confederate States of America. Just a month into his presidency, a crisis was occurring at Fort Sumter, a U.S. military base on a small island near South Carolina, the first state to secede. Union troops were stationed at the fort, but needed food and supplies. President Lincoln ordered ships to resupply the fort as the Confederate Government demanded the fort be evacuated. Lincoln ordered the union troops to stand their ground and await the supply ships. Confederates opened fire, bombarding the fort with artillery. The union returned fire, but after 34 hours, were forced to surrender. No one died in this initial battle, but the Civil War had begun, with the South firing the first shots.
From this point on, Lincoln's entire first term consisted of Civil War, but he knew the importance of preserving the union as well as abolishing slavery once and for all. He took a proactive approach as commander-in-chief, calling on states to send 75,000 volunteer troops to preserve the Union. Lincoln did expand his war powers, but it was during the most crucial time in the history of the nation. Still, some historians rate Lincoln lower for suspending habeas corpus, a fundamental right for all Americans that requires law enforcement to produce a lawful reason for detaining or arresting an individual. The war dragged on for four years, due in large part to incompetent and hesitant generals, but Lincoln's resolve never wavered. He eventually found the right general in Ulysses S. Grant and the north went on the win the war, preserving the union.
One of the most brilliant moves by Lincoln was signing the Emancipation Proclamation, which made clear and definite the main focus of the war - freeing the slaves. Lincoln's main goal for the first year of the war was not freeing the slaves, rather preserving the Union, but he knew the reason behind the war and if he could make that reason the focus, the Union would be strengthened both militarily and politically. Contrary to popular belief, it did not immediately free all the slaves, rather announced that the slaves only in states in rebellion against the Union would be freed. With the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, which went into effect January 1st, 1863, anti-slavery countries could no longer support the south and the Union military now had the objective of ensuring slaves in rebel states be freed. The proclamation also allowed black soldiers to join the Union and about 200,000 did just that.
Lincoln was also an inspirational leader who gave one of the greatest speeches of all time with the Gettysburg Address. He was the great leader the country needed during a time when it was at the brink of implosion. His patience and iron resolve led to a Union victory, the preservation of the Union and the end of a disgusting crime against humanity that lasted more than two centuries in the country, going back to 1619. For that alone, Lincoln makes the Top 5. After the Civil War, he did not outcast the Southern States but rather welcomed them back and focused on unity and healing.
Unfortunately, he was assassinated before being able to complete his second term, so we don't know how a peacetime Lincoln would have performed, but he did serve just long enough to sign the 13th amendment, abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States. Lincoln was assassinated on April 14th, 1865.
2. Dwight D. Eisenhower
Coming in at #2 is Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was born into a relatively poor family, but became interested in military history from an early age, and dove into his mother's book collection. He was gifted in both academics and athletics and after attending West Point, he participated in both World Wars. He was a strong and intelligent leader who orchestrated the Invasion of Normandy. He was eventually promoted to the rank of five-star general and served honorably and competently as the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II. Ike came to national prominence as a potential future President of the United States.
He won the 1952 election in a landslide and continued to get things done during his presidency. He was a great leader, but never flaunted his power. He was up front with the American people and held more press conferences than any previous President. Ike expanded the most successful New Deal programs from the FDR administration and extended benefits to about ten million more American workers. He also implemented racial integration into the military, which somehow had still not been completed at that point in time.
One of his biggest accomplishments was the signing of a bill that authorized the Interstate Highway System. He had experience driving around the country during his years in the military, and described some of the roads as a "succession of dust, ruts, pits and holes." He made it a priority to get the Interstate Highway Bill passed. The project ended up costing $114 billion dollars and was finally completed in 1991. The importance and benefits of the system cannot be understated - it speed up commerce, improving the economy, made the roads safer, saving who knows how many lives, and is something nearly every American thoroughly enjoys.
Eisenhower was also part of the initial phase of two major technological assets in U.S. history - the Space Program and the Internet. In response to the launching of Sputnik 1 by the Soviet Union, Eisenhower created the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), which would research and further develop all emerging technologies that could be of use to the military. ARPA eventually created ARPANET, a predecessor to what we are all enjoying at this very moment - the Internet. President Eisenhower also signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, creating NASA.
Eisenhower was one of the first Presidents since reconstruction to crack down on Civil Rights Violations, although it was never one of his primary goals. He felt he could not change what's in people's hearts, and was a bit slow to act, but still signed two Civil Rights Acts. Unfortunately, those Acts were weakened by Southern Democrats who left them with little enforcement power while failing to address many major Civil Rights Issues. Eisenhower also appointed Earl Warren to the Supreme Court, and Warren would go on to make several landmark Supreme Court Decisions that helped Civil Rights, such as determining racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional.
Ike made sure the new laws would be followed and even sent the National Guard to Little Rock, Arkansas to ensure integration in schools would be allowed when the Governor outright refused to allow 9 African American students to attend Little Rock Central High School. It was a defining moment as Ike could have easily sat back and done nothing, but despite massive backlash at the time, he ordered the military to ensure the law was followed. Ike's enforcement of the law would propel the United States into a turbulent but necessary time in the 1960's in which Civil Rights issues would finally be dealt with as John F. Kennedy continued the fight and eventually, Lyndon B. Johnson signed the much more effective and complete Civil Rights Act of 1964.
As for his foreign policy, Eisenhower promised to quickly end the Korean War and did just that, leaving it divided and keeping U.S. forces in a peaceful South Korea, where they remain to this day. But at least the war was over as promised. He had other opportunities to go to war but chose not to. The U.S. Economy was booming when Ike left office and his accomplishments far outweigh his failures, which were few and far between. A few examples are that he was not able to obtain peace with the Soviet Union and the Cold War only intensified during his time in office. He also placed missiles on the border of Turkey and the Soviet Union, which nearly led to World War III. He also approved a CIA operation in response to a revolution in Cuba in which war crimes were committed. But overall, Ike was a forward-thinking and incredible President whose actions led to the creation of many monumental and important features of our everyday lives that we take for granted every day.
1. George Washington
But just like in movie franchises, the original is usually the best and coming in at #1 on my Top 5 U.S. Presidents of all time is George Washington, the first president of the United States. Washington became commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and led his country to a stunning victory against the insanely powerful British Empire. He became a great leader and was absolutely revered by the people, easily winning the first ever United States Presidential Election. Washington had every opportunity to become a singular ruler with nearly unlimited power, but instead helped create a Constitutional Republic and understood that not only must his power be limited, but he also must eventually step down, which he did after his two terms, a shocking move that set a precedent every President followed until Franklin Roosevelt. After Roosevelt ran for four terms, the two-term standard became law with the 22nd amendment.
During Washington's two terms, he remained a powerful and confident leader, but also remained humble and not only refuse to be a king, but he did not want others to bow in his presence or treat him like royalty, knowing that this new country had to do things completely different than the British in order to create their own identity and, more importantly, create a free and prosperous country. During his first term, he used restraint with veto powers and was willing to listen to opposing views. He was the only President that could be considered non-partisan and was not a proponent of a two-party system, a system I've never cared for since it creates absolute division and a system in which many citizens base basically every opinion they have on what the party they are aligned with tells them to believe. He was President during the passing of several important bills and constitutional amendments, including the Bill of Rights, which helped create many of the freedoms Americans would enjoy. He also proclaimed a Thanksgiving Day on Thursday, November 26th, 1789 to celebrate the defeat of the British and promote National Unity. Of course, Thanksgiving eventually became a National Holiday.
Washington did not even want to run for a second term, but other leaders like Thomas Jefferson convinced him the country needed his leadership for at least four more years. President Washington successfully handled the first major national conflict when an extremely violent tax revolt took place as protesters resisted the "Whiskey Tax," which was intended to help pay for war debt. They refused to pay and resorted to violence against federal officials sent to collect the tax. Things came to a climax when over 500 armed men attacked the home of tax inspector, John Neville. George Washington himself led an army on horseback to suppress the protests. Over 200 men were arrested and the Whiskey Rebellion was suppressed, proving the new government would intervene when necessary and enforce lawful orders. But the most important act of Washington's second term was stepping down when it was over, retiring to return to his home in Mount Vernon and let some one else take over as President.
Washington was exactly what the country needed as their first President, striking a perfect balance between amazing strength and amazing humility. Still, he gets some criticism for avoiding the issue of civil rights and slavery, although he thought such debates could tear apart the new and fragile nation. That view would be more understandable if Washington himself didn't own hundreds of slaves, although he did request they be freed upon his death and believed in a gradual, legislative end to slavery. One must also considered the time Washington lived and his personal situation - he was born into a wealthy family in the south that already owned many slave plantations. Nevertheless, owning slaves is definitely a very sour note in the otherwise amazing life and presidency of George Washington.
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