Unquestionably Abraham Lincoln. While the other Presidents - and I am a Reagan fan -on the list had defining accomplishments and are of undoubted historical importance, none was as decisive and significant as Lincoln, who not only saved the Union in its darkest hour, he defined its very nature.
Indeed, some years back a group of historians rated Lincoln and Churchill not just as great national leaders, but as the greatest leaders in all Western civilization. They earned the accolade - to be sure an accolade not without controversy - because they recurred to very wellsprings of Western civilization to define their statecraft and preserve their societies.
To some degree, this is an observation with a speculative cast. We can only imagine how the Western world would have looked had the United States not survived its civil war. (Ditto had Britain not stood alone and survived in 1940-41.) However, even in a contemporaneous context, Lincoln stands out.
At the time Lincoln became President, it was not just that the country was divided on the question of slavery - with all of its implications for how man viewed his fellow man. The country was, significantly, divided over its very nature. The question of whether or not it was single national community, or instead a confederation of separate and distinct communities, each with their own identity and, in extremis, sovereignty.
Lincoln answered the question not just through military victory - which by itself would not have been enduring - but by summoning the nation to the philosophical essentials of its birth. He defined the nation by common attachment to a specific creed - "a nation dedicated to a proposition" - and in the fullness of time defined the nation.
No President - not even Washington nor Jefferson - answered the question of what the United States was, and thus what it is now, as permanently and definitively. By summoning "the mystic chords of memory," i. e. to a keener sense of its animating principles, Lincoln turned the country into a nation. Something much more essential and elemental and thus enduring.
Not perfectly or completely to be sure. There is no perfection in this mortal veil of tears. However, it is undeniable that had their been no Lincoln, there would have been no America, and had there been no America, the history of Western civilization going forward - with all of its promise of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law - would have looked very different and likely would have taken a far darker turn.
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I wonder how many people voted for Teddy, but wouldn't also vote for the likes of Otto Von Bismarck as a world leader, since Teddy basically copied his foreign policy and even much of his personal image.
Washington wouldn't have been my choice 10 years ago, but considering that he not only fought for the country's existence, went on to be the only sitting president to accompany troops into combat, and actually refused to join a political party or seize power for himself when it was offered, there really isn't anyone else to compare him to because nobody else is in the same league.
FDR would rank very low. He gets credit entirely for being in the right place at the right time; he did remarkably little of value in office for someone who served two terms let alone just shy of four. Truman was better in pretty much every way.
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- Reagan
- JFK
- Teddy
Of that list, probably George Washington or Maybe Reagan. As FDR was a major socialist, created SS as a Ponzi scheme, that needs more people putting in than pulling out. He also signed Executive Order 9066 that arrested Japanese Americans and put them into internment camps.
I don't know how anyone can think someone who suspended the rights of American citizens, strictly based on race could be considered a good president.
Teddy is pretty good, but he got the antiquities act, which in concept is a good idea but Democratic presidents have vastly abused it making millions of acres of land federal property and stealing it from states, especially out west as retribution against conservative states.
When the US government owns more than half of states out west, it shows just how out of control they are. No eastern states would ever allow them to own half of them.
It would of been better, had it been limited in size and frequency. Back then though, the thought of presidents abusing it was not understood how polarized things would become in the future.
Lincoln, is the only dictator the US has ever had... he arrested people and held them without trial, many had no reason to be arrested. He also ignored the judiciary when told to release them or bring charges.
Arresting US citizens without cause because they might support the south.
Many also think he freed the slaves, but the emancipation proclamation only freed the slaves in the states currently in revolt, not the border states that were not part of the confederation.
I know people can overlook that he was a dictator because it was a time of war, and he did ultimately lie through his teeth to get the 13th amendment ratified, which also resulted in the war lasting longer because of his lies.
A dictator is someone who arrests citizens without charge and holds them indefinitely.
I can't say a dictator could ever be one of the best presidents ever.
George Washington, Lincoln is definitely a very very very close second. The reason why I think Washington was the best president ever is because he said the president of two terms he also at a point where he could have Become the literal king of the United States and have ruled until his death he decided to take two terms and step down what he got done during his presidency wasn’t all that exciting to be honest but when it was time for him to step down after two terms used up down. Lincoln was the first republican president of the United States he fight a Civil War in order to fulfill the writings down in the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal and died very early in his second term due to assassination. Definitely the best president of the 20th century would probably be Reagan followed by FDR and teddy Roosevelt which is a bad ass teddy Franklin Delano Roosevelt I’ll give him that he was a great war time president and he had won the most famous quotes of all time there is nothing to fear but fear itself was the American left House seem to abandoned bed during the great depression he was terrible there is a good argument because government is typically terrible as job that he prolonged the great depression by eight years he was good during World War II but Washington was the greatest president because he said a President in my opinion
It's hard to know how to quantify it, but I'd go with Washington: the only president, aside from Polk, to fulfill ALL his campaign promises, and who managed to hold together the fledgling country when under most people, it would've broken apart. Plus, he had the brains to back down and go home after two terms; no trying to become a king for him.
Lincoln gets WAY too much credit, considering that he DID try to become king, or at least dictator; if the envelope with General Order-191 hadn't been found, Gettysburg never would've happened, Lee would've crossed the Susquehanna and laid siege to Washington. This probably would've won the Confederacy diplomatic recognition from England and France, and forced Lincoln to sue for peace. In any case, if the war had been lost, he would've been brought up on charges of Malfeasance of Office, if not outright treason- frankly, he should have been anyway. The Constitution is NOT a polite suggestion.Oh gosh none. I’ll take The guy from Scary Movie 4
https://www.youtube.com/embed/iFm-KZgioX8JFK especially if he didn't die and his plans for the poor went through which would of brought a form of socialism to USA (Probably the reason he was killed if we get into a conspiracy theory).
And of course Reagan on the opposite end of views as the worst.Most historians consider Abraham Lincoln the best President, having to deal with the Civil War to maintain the Union together, and emancipating slaves,. I agree with that, with George Washington (ensured the President was not a King), Thomas Jefferson (Louisiana Purchase) and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (dealing with the Great Depression) in a tie for second place.
George Washington. Because he set the standard of what it means to be the president. He was our American "Cincinnatus". Why do we have two terms limit? Because of George Washington. He stopped after 2 terms because he was mindful of the precedence he was setting. He feared if he died while in office that Americans might view the presidency as a lifetime appt. We had just rid ourselves of a king and didn't want to see the presidency have that much power.
( yes I'm aware Roosevelt served 3)
But that's also why the 22 amendment was created just 3 years later following Roosevelt's death.FDR. During WW2 he defeated the Nazis, Japanese, Italians, vichy French and in the process took possession of Western Europe, the British empire, French empire, Belgian empire, Dutch empire, Portuguese empire, some of the Japanese empire and made the US the major super power with the largest most powerful empire in history.
Of course Woodrow Wilson started this in WW1, by taking all that gold for arms from the British and french.
Currently only China, Iran, Russia, India and North Korea are outside the US control and influence.Thomas Jefferson is bar non the best 2nd would be trump, 3rd would be Eisenhower.
The worst president are #1 Franklin D Roosevelt, fuck him into perpetuity for the shit show that was social security.
2nd Worst would be Woodrow Wilson for the federal reserve act, nothing like handing our economy over to a bunch of corrupt banksters. 3rd worst would be a tie between Barack Obama and Joe biden, for completely gutting our industry and leaving our infrastructure to rot.Jimmy Carter life is amazing! His entire life has been dedicated to help others and has done more after his term than any other! Yes he was not perfect (no one is) He tried and continues to at 97!
I don't know. I just wonder how many idiots will say Trump.
I will say the best ones in my eyes are Lincoln, Washington, Eisenhower, Reagan, Teddy Roosevelt, and Trump.
Teddy Roosevelt, 100%
He was nearsighted with asthma but he was still an ass-kicking western bro.FDR
Washington
Lincoln
the others are wannabees.Kennedy
I believe he was our last true presidentI suspect a hundred years from now Trump will be the president known for tossing a hand grenade into the country and Biden will be the president known for throwing himself on top of that hand grenade.
But for now Biden is known as the guy who got his old stinky viscera all over the place.Abraham Lincoln. He seemed to have a lot of morals.
I’d say it’s a tie between Washington, Lincoln, and Reagan
Surely there positives in Carter and Nixon and even Ford? 🤩🤩🤩
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