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In Table 7.1, the authors provide a list of the 10 greatest Presidents of all time, according to two separate polls by historians (in 2005 and 2009). What criteria, or methodology, do you feel should be used when making this type of assessment?
Make sure to read what others have written and commented on at least one other student’s response.
Bennett Kaufman
We have had a total of 45 presidents, some good, some bad, and some that rose well above the ones before and after them. When making such a list you must include two different criteria. How did they affect the country during their term, and how did they affect the country after their term?
Many great presidents affected their current time period while they were in office. Signing bills into law, defending the country, and even keeping the country together are excellent ways to be remembered as a great president. President Washington led the country directly after the revolutionary war, when we were just a baby nation. He decided that the president would not be a monarchy and be addressed as “Mr. President”. He stepped down after his second term, paving the way for all presidents after him to only run for re-election once until it was written into law many, many years later. President Lincoln won the civil war, keeping the country together. An even greater feat was that he freed the slaves, who had been under the wrath of the south for over a hundred years. These men changed the country drastically during their tenure in office, and set the standard for the men or women after them.
These men made lots of changes to the country that benefited it for many years to come. Some protected it from foreign advesaries, keeping everyone safe at home with their loved ones. Roosevelt led the nation through world war two, our biggest war against a brutal enemy on two fronts. His leadership kept our country safe and showed that we are not to be messed with, cementing that we are a world power. Jefferson went through with the louisiana purchase during his term, doubling the size of our country. It was a great investment, and showed that the president must sometimes make risky decisions that benefit the country as a whole. All these men were excellent leaders and showed that sometimes making a hard decision means risking your reputation if things go south.
