Who is the Best US President of All-Time?

[Schiltzberg]

Hello, NationStates! I have been very interested in presidential history and US history in general for most of my life, and I realize that that is an interest that a lot of people share. This is a forum to discuss different events in US history, particularly regarding the presidents and how they were involved. Please share who you feel was the best President of the United States and why. Even better, give us a full list, ranking all forty-five. Thank you for participating, and I hope that you enjoy this forum!

If you are interested, here is my list. It has been spoilered to keep from swaying anyone's vote in the poll. If you would like to question or challenge me on any of my selections, go ahead.

1. Abraham Lincoln
2. George Washington
3. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
4. Theodore Roosevelt
5. Thomas Jefferson
6. Ronald Reagan
7. Andrew Jackson
8. John Fitzgerald Kennedy
9. James Polk
10. James Madison
11. Dwight D. Eisenhower
12. Woodrow Wilson
13. Calvin Coolidge
14. James Monroe
15. Bill Clinton
16. George H. W. Bush
17. Harry S. Truman
18. William Howard Taft
19. Grover Cleveland
20. John Adams
21. Zachary Taylor
22. Chester Alan Arthur
23. Millard Fillmore
24. William McKinley
25. Benjamin Harrison
26. John Quincy Adams
27. William Henry Harrison
28. James A. Garfield
29. Gerald Ford
30. Richard Nixon
31. Franklin Pierce
32. Barack Obama
33. George W. Bush
34. Rutherford B. Hayes
35. Martin Van Buren
36. Jimmy Carter
37. John Tyler
38. Lyndon B. Johnson
39. Herbert Hoover
40. Warren G. Harding
41. Ulysses S. Grant
42. Andrew Johnson
43. James Buchanan

Grover Cleveland is only listed once, and I did not put Trump on the list, since I feel like it is too early in his term to decide where he should sit.

[Chersonisos]

May I ask why you placed #7 so high up?

[Schiltzberg]

May I ask why you placed #7 so high up?

Jackson gets a bad wrap in my opinion. He gets all of the blame for mistreating the Native Americans, but the truth is that basically every president in the eighteenth and nineteenth century abused them to some extent. He gets specifically blamed for the Trail of Tears, but I would like to point out that that happened under Van Buren's administration, though I'm sure he did a fair amount to set it up. He did a good job with the economy, getting rid of the national debt.The biggest reason why I put him up so high on the list was because he changed the image of what a president was supposed to be. All of the presidents before him were rich aristocrats who were lifetime politicians, where I see him as being more of a representative of the averaged American person at the time.

[St Salvador]

I'll vote for Eisenhower.

[Socialist Nordia]

May I ask why you placed #7 so high up?

Jackson gets a bad wrap in my opinion. He gets all of the blame for mistreating the Native Americans, but the truth is that basically every president in the eighteenth and nineteenth century abused them to some extent. He gets specifically blamed for the Trail of Tears, but I would like to point out that that happened under Van Buren's administration, though I'm sure he did a fair amount to set it up. He did a good job with the economy, getting rid of the national debt.The biggest reason why I put him up so high on the list was because he changed the image of what a president was supposed to be. All of the presidents before him were rich aristocrats who were lifetime politicians, where I see him as being more of a representative of the averaged American person at the time.

“John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it.”

Defining quote of an authoritarian presidency.

You know who didn't abuse Native Americans the way Jackson did? JQA, perhaps one of the most underrated presidents, Jackson's predecessor sand political opponent. With Jackson's illegal Indian Removal Act, he set the framework for all of the most severe and deadly incidents of ethnic cleansing and genocide against their people that occurred after.

Good for the economy? Why did this break out immediately following his presidency, while his economic policies were still in place?

I don't think the "average American" was a sociopathic killer. In all honesty, someone wielding so much power as the presidency without having any experience in lower offices is scary. Especially if they're an "average American" and not some genius.

[Arlenton]

All have their positives and negatives. And it depends on your view.

I'd personally say Reagan.

[Chersonisos]

Jackson gets a bad wrap in my opinion. He gets all of the blame for mistreating the Native Americans, but the truth is that basically every president in the eighteenth and nineteenth century abused them to some extent. He gets specifically blamed for the Trail of Tears, but I would like to point out that that happened under Van Buren's administration, though I'm sure he did a fair amount to set it up. He did a good job with the economy, getting rid of the national debt.The biggest reason why I put him up so high on the list was because he changed the image of what a president was supposed to be. All of the presidents before him were rich aristocrats who were lifetime politicians, where I see him as being more of a representative of the averaged American person at the time.

“John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it.”

Defining quote of an authoritarian presidency.

You know who didn't abuse Native Americans the way Jackson did? JQA, perhaps one of the most underrated presidents, Jackson's predecessor sand political opponent. With Jackson's illegal Indian Removal Act, he set the framework for all of the most severe and deadly incidents of ethnic cleansing and genocide against their people that occurred after.

Good for the economy? Why did this break out immediately following his presidency, while his economic policies were still in place?

I don't think the "average American" was a sociopathic killer. In all honesty, someone wielding so much power as the presidency without having any experience in lower offices is scary. Especially if they're an "average American" and not some genius.

Also - if I'm not mistaken, wasn't his destruction of the national banks the primary cause of the Panic of 28?

Likewise, Jackson did set up almost the entirety of the Indian Removal Act - even if Van Buren did execute it, it's still as if a president ordered some other atrocity on a mass scale and then had their follow-up execute it.

[Populi-Terrae]

Abraham Lincoln.

He led the United States through the deadliest war in it's history and laid the groundwork for the abolition of slavery.

[Socialist Nordia]

Abraham Lincoln.

He led the United States through the deadliest war in it's history and laid the groundwork for the abolition of slavery.

Lincoln did well through the war, but his VP choice was perhaps his greatest mistake. Johnson stalled the programme of the radical republicans and did not allow them to effectively pursue their pro-equality agenda.

[The Federal Kingdom Of Zuhi]

John F Kennedy. the last REAL liberal that was in opposition to communism, now all modern libtards have some connection to commies.

[Dytarma]

Go FDR!

[Dytarma]

Abraham Lincoln.

He led the United States through the deadliest war in it's history and laid the groundwork for the abolition of slavery.

Actually, he would've kept slavery if that's what it took to keep the Union together.

[The republic of Kosh Naranek]

Bernie Sanders. I wish. Really, I mean Abraham Lincoln.

[The Federal Kingdom Of Zuhi]

Bernie Sanders. I wish. Really, I mean Abraham Lincoln.

^

[Schiltzberg]

Jackson gets a bad wrap in my opinion. He gets all of the blame for mistreating the Native Americans, but the truth is that basically every president in the eighteenth and nineteenth century abused them to some extent. He gets specifically blamed for the Trail of Tears, but I would like to point out that that happened under Van Buren's administration, though I'm sure he did a fair amount to set it up. He did a good job with the economy, getting rid of the national debt.The biggest reason why I put him up so high on the list was because he changed the image of what a president was supposed to be. All of the presidents before him were rich aristocrats who were lifetime politicians, where I see him as being more of a representative of the averaged American person at the time.

“John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it.”

Defining quote of an authoritarian presidency.

You know who didn't abuse Native Americans the way Jackson did? JQA, perhaps one of the most underrated presidents, Jackson's predecessor sand political opponent. With Jackson's illegal Indian Removal Act, he set the framework for all of the most severe and deadly incidents of ethnic cleansing and genocide against their people that occurred after.

Good for the economy? Why did this break out immediately following his presidency, while his economic policies were still in place?

I don't think the "average American" was a sociopathic killer. In all honesty, someone wielding so much power as the presidency without having any experience in lower offices is scary. Especially if they're an "average American" and not some genius.

I understand the counterargument, and it's a good one. It is hard to place Jackson, because he is very different from a lot of the other presidents, and most people either love him or hate him. I personally favor having a strong president versus a weak one, so you bring that up as being a downside, but I see it as an upside. That is also why the Roosevelts are so high up, among other things they did. I also am a big fan of JQA. Believe it or not, I actually wrote a poem about him. While I like him as a congressman and politician in general, his presidency was not good, and he was unable to accomplish what he set out to do. He had a very weak presidency, starting with the scandal that got him the presidency after supposedly bribing the Speaker of the House. As a person, thumbs up, as a president, eh.

[Major-Tom]

Washington, the founder of our Republic. An imperfect man but also a man with very noble ideas who helped lay the framework for our modern democracy.

Jefferson, a staunch supporter of decentralization and wickedly intelligent man with many flaws as well.

Teddy Roosevelt, an embodiment of rugged, American patriotism. His support for aspects of progressivism, conservatism, and laws to keep a largely unregulated market in check was wise. Also, National Parks Service.

Eisenhower. While not always the smartest on some fronts, and a bit too wishy washy on civil rights, he did lead us through a period of rapid economic growth and stability. He warned us about the dangers of a military industrial complex, too.

[The Emerald World]

I'd put William Henry Harrison in last because he kinda died a month into his term and it's a bit hard to do a good job as president if you're a corpse.

[Socialist Nordia]

I'd put William Henry Harrison in last because he kinda died a month into his term and it's a bit hard to do a good job as president if you're a corpse.

Then again, it makes it hard to screw anything up.

[Yiffin]

I'd put Washington first, for obvious reasons. Second would be a tie between Reagan and Lincoln. My third choice would be JFK tied with Eisenhower, and LBJ. Fourth would be Bush Sr. and Andrew Jackson.

Dead last would be (in order from best to worst) are: Herbert Hoover, FDR, Clinton, Carter, and Obama.


As for Trump, I don't know- he seems ok so far. Time will tell.

[Pherdistan]

Lincoln, most likely, for guiding the nation through the most difficult time in its history.

[Schiltzberg]

Abraham Lincoln.

He led the United States through the deadliest war in it's history and laid the groundwork for the abolition of slavery.

Lincoln did well through the war, but his VP choice was perhaps his greatest mistake. Johnson stalled the programme of the radical republicans and did not allow them to effectively pursue their pro-equality agenda.

Yes, definitely. It makes perfect sense if you are assuming that Lincoln is not going to die before the election. They wanted a Democrat southerner as the VP in the election of 1864 to try to show the country that they were unified. They didn't think Lincoln's death would be a risk, because he was relatively young and in good health, and assassination was not even a thought at that time, because it hadn't happened yet.

[New United States of Columbia]

George Washington. He started it, set all the traditions and rules, and was the most popular with all. Plus, when HORRIFICALLY slandered, he did not lash out at the people and also distrusted political parties and foreign adventures (getting involved in wars that do not affect us)

[Schiltzberg]

I'd put William Henry Harrison in last because he kinda died a month into his term and it's a bit hard to do a good job as president if you're a corpse.

Then again, it makes it hard to screw anything up.

Yeah, he's definitely still better than, say, Buchanan or Harding.

[Community Values]

Jefferson. Even though he was a living contradiction, I liked how he liked a strict constitution and states rights (in theory)

[Socialist Nordia]

I'd put Washington first, for obvious reasons. Second would be a tie between Reagan and Lincoln. My third choice would be JFK tied with Eisenhower, and LBJ. Fourth would be Bush Sr. and Andrew Jackson.

Dead last would be (in order from best to worst) are: Herbert Hoover, FDR, Clinton, Carter, and Obama.


As for Trump, I don't know- he seems ok so far. Time will tell.

Tfw Obama and Clinton get beat out by corrupt cheaters, confederate sympathising traitors, and people responsible for actual genocide.

I mean really, how blindly partisan can you get to the point where policies you don't like can't possibly be better than genocide.