Top Ten US Presidents
LCHE Homeschool Co-Op US History
Top Ten US Presidents
- Based on historical significance
- Not an evaluation of their quality
- In the order they served, not a ranked list
George Washington -- First President (1789-1797)
- First President
- Established two-term tradition
- Warned about entangling alliances
- Established the “civilian Presidency.”
Thomas Jefferson -- Third President (1801-1809)
- Peaceful Transition from Adams
- Louisiana Purchase/Lewis & Clark expedition
- Strict constructionism vs. Opportunity
- Got two successors elected.
Andrew Jackson -- Seventh President (1829-1837)
- Federal government as defender of liberty
- Veto, veto, veto . . .
- First President not from MA or VA
- “Jacksonian democracy”
Abraham Lincoln -- Sixteenth President (1861-1865)
- Civil War
- Emancipation of slaves
- “National Union” Party
- First national-level Republican
NEXT WEEK: Presidents 5-10. Also, read the Constitution.
Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama.
IN TWO WEEKS: The five most historically-significant storylines running through US History.
Exploration, Equality, Liberty, Technology, & Prosperity
Discussion Questions (open for two weeks):
- Who is on the list who doesn't belong there, and who would you replace him with? Why?
- Is the significance of a Presidency defined more by circumstances or by the person?
- Can a President make a historically-significant contribution in only one term?
I think that obama should be replaced. I would replace him with George W. Bush. Why you say? Because for two reasons. One because he replaced Bill Clinton. And two because he is a better president than Obama will ever try to be.
ReplyDeleteI think the significance of a person is defined by what they do that makes history and whats good decisions make that help America, something that alot of people would not like but that makes America and other places better.
ReplyDelete~Becca McElfresh
@ JT Mayes
ReplyDeleteObama should stay on the list because he is the first black prez. That will be remembered forever.
@jt mayes
ReplyDeleteSo, why doesn't Obama deserve to be on the list? Why is Bush "better"? The fact that he’s the first black president automatically makes him VERY significant. Bush can't claim anything anywhere near that as far as I'm concerned.
@Katie Tyson
ReplyDeleteI agree with you being the first black president makes him very importent to our history. I am glad that i can tell my kids and grandkids that i got to see the first black president elected
@zac mcelfresh
ReplyDeleteO.K. so what if he should stay on. that was what i said. END OF DISCUSSION
@ katie tyson
ReplyDeleteBush is better to me because he replaced Clinton. He is not black he is a Hawiian muslim. I still like the fact of having a white prez over a muslim.
I think that Obama should definitely NOT be on this list. Just because he is the first black president doesn't mean a blessed thing! You have to remember a certain fact that people keep conviently forgetting, he's HAWIIAN! Ulysses S. Grant should be on the list for two reasons.(1)Although it was Lincoln who tried to keep the nation together, it was Ulysses S. Grant who led the army to victory against the South.(2)When he led the army he was a fair and wise leader. He only allowed unconditional surrender. He also was fair to the Southerners after they surrendered. Instead of being unfair to the army, he allowed them to keep everything except their weapons.
ReplyDelete@becca mcelfresh
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with everything you said about the significance of a president.
@horselover16
ReplyDeletenow that i think about it you are right about Lincoln and Grant. Grant did unify the states and not unjustly treat the southerners.
@ben wiles
ReplyDeletehorslover16 is Tiffany Mayes.
@ horselover16
ReplyDelete200 years from now he will still be remimberd because 50 years ago no one would have dared to vote for him, and he would have never ran. we've came so fare since then. and yes it means a huge thing that he was the first black prez.
@jtmayes
ReplyDeleteFinally! Someone on this blog finally agrees with somebody else. The sweet smell of victory.
@zac and becca mcelfresh and katie tyson
ReplyDeleteWILL YOU JUST GET OFF OF THE FIRST BLACK PREZ.
@zac mcelfresh
ReplyDeleteDo I have to repeat myself! He is NOT BLACK! He is a Hawaiian! Why can't people get the concept that just because the media says you are something doesn't mean that you are!
@ tiffany mayes
ReplyDeleteHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@ben wiles
ReplyDeleteI have a new addiction.
Im not trying to change your opinion, we all have a different one.Im just telling you my opinion.
ReplyDeletewho is anonymous?
@jt mayes
ReplyDeleteYes he might be the first black president, but, look at what he did! He legalized abortion,euthenasia,and the new healthcare bill that everyone is raving about is going to take taxpayer money to fund abortion. He is the spearhead for all of the ideas that will harm not only the country, but the world.
@ Tiffany
ReplyDeleteAre you sure he is Hawaiian?
@zac mcelfresh
ReplyDeletei am anonymous.
@joseph
ReplyDeleteI have enough to do already without your help thank you very much.
he did do all of that stuff but it all was ABSOLUTELY POSOTIVELY W-R-O-N-G!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@chewie
ReplyDeleteI am absolutely, positively, one hundred percent sure of that fact. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be saying it on the blog. I made sure I got my facts straight. Oh, and we already knew that Obama sent what was left of America down the toilet without you having to remind us of that fact.
His dad is from kenya.
ReplyDeleteand his mom is from hawaii.
African-American.
I just got that off of biography.com
@TIFFANY
ReplyDeleteyou go sis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@ zac
ReplyDeleteSee! He IS Hawaiian. Just because his dad is from Kenya doesn't make him black. He is only HALF Kenyan. So he can't be called the first black president.
@all other bloggers
ReplyDeleteA wise man once said that we should judge a man by the content of his character and not by the color of his skin. This is wise advice indeed!
@zac
ReplyDeletestill he is HAWIIAN
when did you start researching stuff like that?!?!?!?!?
@horselover16
ReplyDeletekenya is in the hart of arfica some tribes in hawaii are black!
burn!
@ joseph
ReplyDeletewhere did you get that your star wars junk?!
@ Jt mayes
ReplyDeleteI was only contributing my thoughts on the matter
@chewie
ReplyDeleteAnd just who exaclty said that? Martin Luther King Jr. I'd bet.
@ Jt
ReplyDeleteWhat Star Wars Junk?! If you were referring to my quote about the content of character it is from M.L.King's famous speech on the mall
@ jt i did so i would no the truth just a secant ago it aint changed sinse then
ReplyDelete@zac
ReplyDeletelearn to spell PLEASE
@all bloggers
ReplyDeleteNote Obama IS NOT be on the list this week!
@everyone
ReplyDeleteI am done for today. that is final
@jt mayes
ReplyDeleteWhy does replacing Clinton make him deserve to be on this list? And Obama was born in Hawaii, but he isn't Hawaiian, his mother is from Kansas.
@horselover16
His MOTHER is American (from Kansas), his father is Kenyan, (he's black). And that does make a diference, because 55 years ago, he wouldn't have been able to drink from the same water fountain as a Caucasian, let alone become president. But I do think Ulyisses S. Grant wouldn't be a bad addition to this list.
@ jt mayes and others
ReplyDeletehe did do all of those things and they are wrong, but how do you know that if mccain would have won he wouldnt have done the same thing. just because someone says one thing doesnt mean they wouldn't do another.
Oh and for the record, I DON'T agree with everything he's done, but I still haven't seen a coherent reason for him not to be on the list.
ReplyDelete@ katie tyson
ReplyDeleteI agree Ulyisses S. Grant would be a good one on the list
@all bloggers
ReplyDeleteFounding Father Noah Webster, who was known as the father of America’s original educational system, said,
“In selecting men for office, let principle be your guide. Regard not the particular sect or denomination of the candidate - look to his character. . . . When a citizen gives his suffrage to a man of known immorality he abuses his trust; he sacrifices not only his own interest, but that of his neighbor, he betrays the interest of his country.”
According to this quote we should educate ourselves on the person's character and his moral decisions and elect the person who best reflects your values
@ Ben - RE: Is the significance of a Presidency defined more by circumstances or by the person?
ReplyDeleteTrick question. One of those funny queries that is dependent on the nature of the answer itself, therefore allowing the one responding to be painted in any light - just like the answer. But I digress...
In favor of the nature of a person, I believe the old worn-out and highly paraphrased "You can do anything you set your mind to." If the person in question wants change, and works hard enough, there is little, if anything, that can stand in his way - as we are seeing now with our new leader. Equally, if a president doesn't want something to happen, he can (to coin the phrase) "Pull a Jackson."
And on the subject of circumstance, you have those met with the aforementioned "Little, if anything" This would refers to wars (WW1:the Aryan menace, WW2:attack of the Nazis, Nam, Viet, Kor, ect.) Natural disasters, Katrina being the only major one to come to mind. And terrorism. Although few, if any such things effected the List Ben compiled.
In summary, I would have to say that the significance of the presidency in question is more defined by the character of the person and the choices they make, and not entirely what circumstance they're placed in.
@ Becca M and Katie
ReplyDeleteYes Ulyisses would be a great addition, but he was not elected president. This blog is for comments on presidents only! Stop dreaming!
@chewie yes he was not elected but if he was he would be a good one
ReplyDelete@ Adam
ReplyDeleteBravo Adam, Exactly!
@katie tyson
ReplyDeleteI understand the significance of the civil rights movement and stuff, but it still comes down to the fact that Obama wants to kill inocent babies and take our insurance away from us and let the government control it.
@becca
It is true that we don't know for certain that John Mcain would have made a better president. We can only guess and speculate and wonder. I totally agree that most politicians go back on their word once in office.
@ Becca M
ReplyDeleteTrue, but he was not! Please stick to the facts Ma'am!
@chewie
ReplyDeleteFor your information Ulysses S. Grant WAS A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!
If you don't believe look in your history book.
@ ben's third question...
ReplyDeleteYes a president can make a signifigant historical contribution in one term, President Abraham Lincoln did just that!
@horselover16
ReplyDeleteYes they do and thats why i still think obama should be and the list but that is just my opinion.
@Adam Baker
I agree
@adam baker
ReplyDeleteFirst off, wow. I had no idea you could do that. Second I agree with you to a point. The choices a president makes does make him remembered or not. But circumstance does quite a bit too, I mean look at Herbert Hoover. People still blame him for the Great Depression. So in a way, circumstances are important for the remembrance of a president.
@ Tiffany
ReplyDeletePerdon lo siento Senorita
He wasn't elected president on this list!
@chewie
ReplyDeletethat isn't the point I'm trying to get across. you said he wasn't president at all. He was and that's who I would put on the list instead of Obama. that answers the first question.
@joseph
ReplyDeleteulysses was a president look it up at #18
@adam
I totally agree
@ katie
he stated before he was elected that he was Hawiian
@ becca
we dont know what mcain would have done but please leave him out of this.
@chewie
ReplyDeleteUlysses S. Grant: president from 1869-1877
@ Tiffany
ReplyDeleteYou win this battle, I admit defeat, but next time I will not go so easy on you all. Chewie signing out
@ Tiffany
ReplyDeleteTrue, true. No offence though, but the question asked which imparted ~more~ significance. I wasn't discounting the effect circumstance has on a leader, merely stating both sides to demonstrate the reasoning involved in weighing my choices.
Forgive my sluggish response, it seems out-of-place now...
This town ain't big enough for two anonymi. You're getting debunked, partner!!
ReplyDeleteOne, these comment/response count for points... like a grade. So what student would waste the effort for uncredible info
Two, multiple answers in one post without really stating opinion
Ben, just use your name lol
-Student
@adam baker
ReplyDeletethat's fine just stating my opinion just like everbody else.
Here we go. Looks like we're off to a good start.
ReplyDelete@JT & @Katie: See point one. The list isn't about quality, only impact. We're not judging the bomb based on where it explodes, only on the size of the hole it leaves behind.
@Zac: On SNL last year, Amy Poehler said, "Barack Obama could live to be 200 years old and cure cancer, and the first line of his Wikipedia entry would be 'first black President.'"
@Katie: I haven't mentioned yet why I have Obama on the list, but it's not just because he's the first black President. Hint: He's also the first President too young to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis.
@Horselover16: I like where you're going with the Grant possibility, but it was Lincoln who gave the "Malice toward none" speech at his second inauguration. Was Grant acting on his own or following Lincoln's lead? Or was Lincoln's legacy too powerful to go against even if he wanted to?
@Chewie: Harm is still an impact. And I would LOVE to have a discussion with you about the difference between self-interest and self-optimization. But that's economics, not history . . .
@Adam: Well said. Presidents do a lot to make their own circumstances. But they're not in complete control, are they?
@Tiffany: Interesting point about Hoover taking the blame for an economic crisis that happened on his watch but was building for 8 years while Harding and Coolidge looked the other way as their friends got rich. This phenomenon has taken down other "legacy Presidents" too (van Buren, GHW Bush, etc.).
@Ben
ReplyDeleteNo one ever has 'complete' control. But I'm saying people, like it or not, usually have some degree of power over their situation. Let's not forget that outside of G. Washington, most presidents freely chose to run during the given time of office and therefore likely knew what they were getting into, which means they made their OWN circumstance. Furthermore, aside from Natural disasters and Terrorism, they had choices about which wars to take part in and what laws to pass, directly contributing to the climate of their term.
To state it metaphorically; "It's not where the bomb fell, it's how big the hole was." Yes? Well let me ask you, what if the 'Bomb' was never dropped? What if the button was never pushed? There would Be No Impact. It all comes down to choices, and choices are made by People.
I still maintain that the person effects the significance more than the time in which they are elected.
Post Scriptum: Did I claim they had Complete Control in any of my posts?
whose chewi
ReplyDelete•Can a President make a historically-significant contribution in only one term?
ReplyDeleteI think they very much can. Abraham Lincoln is a very good example of it. personally he's one of my favorites presidents.
because in one term he: abolished slavery, he was also admirable, and honest. so people trusted him. therefore they listened to what he said.. and encouraged the country to reunite again. after he was killed by the assassin, less then a week after the surrender of the confederate forces, he left the nation in a more perfect union. alot of people admired him for his morals, and peaceful mentality. respected by alot of people for being America's greatest president! :)
and about the Barrack Obama arguments;
he should only be on this list when he proves to the country that he's really helping America by keeping It's freedom, and upholding the morals that were the foundation of the constitution.
and right now, i haven't seen one good thing come out of his presidency.
oh, and the skin color does not matter... i'm glad that America is finally in a place to see beyond the skin color, but people should not have voted for him just because he was black.
their votes should be based on his principals.
@jessica
ReplyDeletethat is exactally what my argument was but in different words.
finally someone that agrees with me and tiffany
@anonomous
ReplyDeletewhat is your name?
chewi is joseph.:|
jt mayes
I, like Jessica think that a president can make a historically significant contribution in only one term. My example is our 11th president James k. Polk. He increased the size of the U.S. more than any other president through the acquisition of California and New Mexico. Which of course lead to the Mexican-American War, not only did he help us win the war but he also claimed Oregon territory. He did all of this in his one and only term as president from 1845 to 1849.
ReplyDelete1. The four we have covered so far all deserve to be on the list.
ReplyDelete2. The significance of a president should be judged by the job they do and the impact they make.
3. Of course they can, as Sarah pointed out.
-Michael
2. The significance of a president is more by the person, even though it shouldn't be. It should be more about the circumstance. I mean if President Obama have been around during the Civil Rights movement, do you think he would have been elected president? Probably not... So it really depends on the circumstances.
ReplyDelete3. I, as well, agree with Sarah, Jessica, and Michael.
I wouldn't replace anyone on the list.
ReplyDeleteI think the significance of a president should be based on what they did in my opinion.
Yes they can make a difference in only one term.
I think Barack Obama should be replaced with George W. Bush Why? Cause Obama is pulling troops out of iraq and we havent even won, He has promised us change he has deliverd changed our wounderful country to communism and he has also promised us hope but he still hasnt deliverd that to us.He was also the first president that did not attend the War Memorial on Memorial Day.He has past the Health Care Bill that most Americans did not want.He is even trying to pass a bill that farmers cant even grow thier own crops.Back last year in california he was so worried about a little fish that he cut off the water for the farmers and they lost a bunch of money.He has bowed down to other country kings but yet we are a strong country.He said he was going to make this country a better place when he has done nothing but made it wrose.He is also suing Arizona for immigration laws.He also did not attend the National Day of Prayer.We have no proof that he is even a citzen of the United States.The unemplyment rate is up big time.He has taken more vacations than any president.He has played golf more since his short time in office than Gorge W. Bush did in 8 years in office.Maybe he should worry less about a golf course and MORE about our country.
ReplyDeleteAlizabeth Morrison
@Alizabeth
ReplyDeleteexactally what I was thinking!!!!!!!!
J.T.Mayes
I would pick to replace Obama because he has no morals,he believe's in abortion's.We are suppose to be a christian nation but he don't go by the word of God.Abortion is murder!He also took the Holy Bible out of the military!He's trying to take are rights to bare arm's away! Obama think's it's ok when it ain't!
ReplyDeleteKayla Birdwell
P.S Obama should be replaced with Geroge W. Bush because he believes in God,he is a true American and ain't afraid to show he's birth certificate like Obama was!
ReplyDeleteKayla Birdwell
@ Kayla Birdwell
ReplyDeleteI agree with EVERYTHING you said!!!!
Alizabeth Morrison
@Alizabeth and Kayla
ReplyDeleteA-to-the-MEN!
@ Alizabeth Morrison
ReplyDeletegreat comments, i agree with you, we have a small band of malitia, lets storm Washington, and give them a serving of whats on our mind
@ all bloggers
ReplyDeletewe need to rally the troops and maybe, just maybe, we can change this country's history for the better
FLAME WARS YOUTUBE STYLE
ReplyDeleteUNLEASH THE TROLLS
Did somebody say trolls???
ReplyDeleteOh BTW
Obama is the greatest president ever and abortions are perfectly fine.
the real problem is rich jews funding our murder in the middle east. also they are going for the NWO and Internet 2.0! freakin' Illuminati!
jk jk the above two post were me and there will be no further trolling real or fake.
ReplyDeletebut you guys really are turning this into a flame war lol
-Michael
@jtmays
ReplyDeleteokay the men on the list are on there for signifigance which meens that it is not necessarily because they did something great, because most of the things that obama has done are wrong but they are things that will be remembered 20 years from now and that is what makes Obama signifigant asside of the fact that he is the first non-white president
a president can make a historically-signifigant contribution in one term for example look at the contribution Obama has made good or bad and this is only his second year in office he still has two more years to go! (btw i do not support anything what soever that Obama has done)
ReplyDelete@Callie
ReplyDeleteI would not use Obama as an example because he has only made the problems that this country's facing worse and added a few more to that list!
@ anyone
ReplyDeletehey you ready for a tussle of opinion?
@Adam -- Well said re: circumstance. There is a case to be made that a President has as much influence on circumstances as circumstances have on him.
ReplyDelete@Jessica -- Interesting point. But did Lincoln do more in death than he did in life?
@Sarah -- James K. Polk is a great example of a one-termer, esp. re: Manifest Destiny.
@Jessica, @JT, @Alizabeth, and others -- Doing bad things is still doing things. And like him personally or not, Obama's presidency is a significant movement in the story of America's quest for equality.
@Everybody -- Is there a case for GWBush in terms of historical significance? My guess is he'd be in the Top 15 (with Grant, Truman, Polk, and maybe L. Johnson), but Top 10? I don't really see it, but I'd like to hear the case.
@chewie
ReplyDeletejust like ben said its not bacause Obama is great its what is going to make a big dent in history
well i have to agree with callie on her comment, even though i don't agree with obama most of the time,he still is going to be talked about for years to come.
ReplyDelete@joseph
ReplyDeleteexactly courtney that was my point!! okay Joseph an example for a historically signifigant contribution would be Lincoln bringing us out of slavery!
@ Callie
ReplyDeleteTrue, but Obama is not abiding by the rules set in ink the color of blood because so many lives were and are being given for the freedom of this country, founded on the Constitution!
Ive personally always disliked Obama Actions but I guess he belongs on the list because his the first black President of today but like i sayed I hate his actions, like sure sending home our troops back to our family and all but that sends terrorist in to distroy
ReplyDeleteIsaiah and kill other familys offer there in Iraq and like everyone sayed abortion is evil and murder ill never understand why ANYONE! would do this but i guess its bad juju for them.. Anyways he would be on the bottom of my list.. because of all the things ive hurd of him calling people in kentucky and other states.
@anyone
ReplyDeletehello, anyone out there?
OK, GWBush does not have a dog in this fight!! what did he do? NOTHING AT ALL that is significant. you cant find a bigger obama hater in the world more than me, but he belongs on the list. because its about historical significase,not your persinal oppinion.
ReplyDeletefeww, i barly got though that with out cusin>
@ zac m.
ReplyDeleteFine G. W. Bush doesn't have to be on the list but i to am a huge obama hater. so are we on the same page now?!?
J.T.
@jt
ReplyDeletegood