When we completed our Top 10 Worst US Presidents, we knew that we would eventually write a top 10 best presidents; fortunately for us Ro has done us the service of writing it himself. So, following on from our previous list of presidents, here are the ten best. As usual, name your preferences in the comments if you don’t agree.
John F. Kennedy was one charismatic president. He brought many teachers, writers, scientists and different intellectuals into the government. His inaugural speech was one of the modern greats as he called for service to his countrymen. He established the Peace Corps in order to help the undeveloped nations and was very devoted to working hard for new civil rights laws. He wanted to improve his country’s relation with the then Soviet Union but it was to no avail as the all powerful congress thought otherwise. This became further unrealistic when the Russians started to send missiles to Cuba. This brought the two countries to the verge of war but Kennedy was determined to avoid it at all cost and diffused all the tensions brilliantly. He had the power to inspire and considering that he only served as the president for a brief stint of about two years before being assassinated, he achieved a lot.
Andrew Jackson was a fearless president right from the beginning. He easily was the best president ever to serve the army – going well past the excellence of George Washington, smashing the British in the war of 1812 and then playing the paramount role in taking Florida from Spain. So during his presidency there was no shortage of courage as he demonstrated how great a role the president had to play, by undertaking the responsibility of getting people the laws they wanted instead of leaving everything up to the Congress. The Tariff act was passed in 1832, which would be significant to America’s economy forever. When North Carolina had other opinions about the act, Jackson made it clear that no state had the right to break national laws and threatened to use the army if necessary to save the union. He proved too strong and a compromise was worked out.
James Monroe’s presidency became known as the era of good feeling. He took trips around the country to know more about what was going on in the minds of people and what they wanted. He settled tensions between England and America by coming to an agreement of reducing the number of ships present in the great lakes which triggered a wave of friendly cooperation and peaceful negotiations which still exists today between the countries of America, England and France. He avoided war rather magnanimously and only wanted Florida and no more and took it effortlessly from Spain by using minimum force. The Missouri compromise was signed which allowed Missouri to be a slave state but make sure that all further states up north would be non slavery states. He also signed and ensured the Monroe Doctrine which forbade all European countries making new colonies in the Americas.
Thomas Jefferson cared passionately about his country and put the interests of the people before his. He cut down on the army and the navy as he thought that a country should be run cheaply as possible so there would always be money for bigger developments when the need came. He was successful in buying from France the whole Louisiana territory, stretching from the Mississippi river to the Rocky Mountains and henceforth doubled the size of his country. When there was a threat from the Barbary pirates based in Africa, he utilized his navy to attack these pirates which once again ensured the smooth flow of American ships through the Mediterranean Sea. He was on very good terms with the people and mostly likely would have been reelected; instead he stepped down as president, believing that no one should run for more than two terms for democracy to be sustained in the land of the free.
Grover Cleveland was a tremendously hard working president. He began to reform the federal government and at the same improved civil service to get better workers. He forced the railroads to return 81 million acres of government which they had taken illegally. He took care to scrutinize every bill the congress passed and vetoed many of them which he thought weren’t beneficial to his countrymen. As he worked so fervently he never turned a deaf ear to any one of the country’s problems and even boosted the navy by getting them the best ships. When a railroad strike in Chicago interfered with the mail he sent the federal troops at once to clear up the matter. He totally imbued his virtues of hard work and honesty into the federal government which indeed made it very efficient and also gained confidence from the people. Cleveland really is the most underrated president ever in United States history.
Theodore Roosevelt became the youngest ever president when he took the oath and he brought his exuberance into the office as expected. He controlled trusts so that small businesses and workers were not exploited. He wanted every one to have a square deal which was eponymous to his administration’s name. He got congress to pass laws which protected the people from impure food and drugs and forced the owners of the coal mines during that time to pay better wages to its laborers. He is recognized as having done more than any other president to save the natural resources of USA. Roosevelt established national parks and more than 125 million acres of national forests. A firm believer in having a strong navy, he also got congress to build new battleships and cruisers. It was for the objective that the navy could move easily from one ocean to the other and also for trade purposes that he built the Panama Canal.
James Polk was one of the few presidents who made his agenda clear and actually went on to accomplish every one of his preplanned goals. Under him the congress passed laws to set up a national treasury and to lower the tariff, just as he had said he wanted to. He avoided war with England and split the Oregon territory between the U.S and Canada which remains the present day border. Despite having settled the Oregon issue so peacefully, the same proved more difficult in the case of California. Mexicans wouldn’t sell their land and the revolutions he tried to stir up there all failed. But he couldn’t let this last promise of bringing California under the union fall apart so he persevered. Slowly over the course of the next few months he bullied Mexico in to a war it didn’t want to fight. America won and took not only California but what is now all of Nevada and parts of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.
FDR was faced with the immediate problem of depression as soon as his arrival to the oval office. He declared bank holidays which closed all banks; they were then opened a few at a time with government help. He got congress to pass laws which helped farmers, small businesses and people who were about to lose their homes during that time. He kept moving on with his social reforms which changed the course of American government. Just when things started to return back to normal and the people grew in confidence, World War 2 commenced. He wanted the allies to win to protect democracy all over the world and kept sending more and more supplies to the British to overcome the forces which threatened freedom. America eventually joined in the war. He saw the USA through two grave crises and his last great achievement was to lay the foundation of what would later be the UN.
Woodrow Wilson was an admirable principled president. He got congress to lower the tariff and he reformed the national banking system. He also got the congress to declare that it wasn’t against the law for working men to go on strike. When world war one started his aim was clearly to stay out of it, he instead looked forward to help the warring countries to make peace. When German submarines bombed American ships in the Atlantic without warning, the USA was engaged in the war. More than anything else Wilson wanted this to be a war to end all the wars. Even at the time of fighting, he drew up his famous 14 Point Peace plan. The most important of these called for a League of Nations which would settle future rifts between nations. Germany had surrendered and the League of Nations was formed. But without the approval of the U.S senate America couldn’t join and without the USA the body was rendered useless. But Wilson kept traveling around the country making speeches in favor of the league. He left a legacy for peace which people still dream about.
Abraham Lincoln became the president when everything was going wrong for the USA. There were still a number of Border States which were left undecided on whether to stay in the Union or not, he wanted to hold on to these states if he possibly could. Secondly a lot of Northerners believed that neither the Union nor slavery was worth fighting about. Fighting a war at that time would mean a lot of people not supporting him. He had the gifted ability to make the people understand what he was doing and when Civil War broke out he made them understand that the USA was the only genuine democratic government in the world and his job was to hold the Union together. Since slavery had started this whole mess in the first place, he believed that it had to perish for the nation to live. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation and worked for the 13th amendment to ban slavery. Although these did not effectively ensure the end of slavery, it won sympathy for the North throughout the world which culminated into its victory in the end. He had no plans for revenge and just wanted to restore the union as soon as possible, bu, alas, he was assassinated. He is arguably the most mourned president ever.
Contributor: Ro
“Also all of the internet loons who rant and cry over the current administration curinb many of our civil liberties and all should know that Lincoln suspended habeas corpus as did FDR. Nothing we’re seeing now is new”
Lincoln did so during a time of Civil War, FDR did so during a time of World War. Bush is doing so during a time of imperialist bull*****.
I knew all the stuff about Lincoln. He also had a disease (not gigantism, but something like it where he kept growing) He would have died of it eventually. It was a death sentence
Also, I forgot, wasn’t FDR responsible for Social Security? Was supposed to be temporary. Guess it’s not. Also Federal income tax. Same thing. Lord knows I hate taxes.
And what was the real story behind the Boston tea party?
In response to #30, according to Wikipedia, NASA was established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958, over two years before Kennedy became President; NASA even has a 50-year logo now. I don’t have any information about what role Senator Kennedy may have played, but if any President can be credited with starting NASA, it would have to be Eisenhower.
There is an error in the Andrew Jackson portion. It was South Carolina that was apart of the Nullification Crisis not North Carolina.
O.O Wow…we just can’t agree on anything, now can we?
I’m going to go against the flow here and say that I think this list was very well-written, particularly for a non-US citizen. Lincoln for number 1 was definitely correct.
I disagree with Woodrow Wilson inclusion in this list.
Woodrow Wilson was one of the most extreme proponents of idealistic school of thought in foreign policy, and in fact Idealistic foreign policy is often called Wilsonianism. His ideas led to some serious problems in the formation of the treaty of Versailles. He believed that all nations should have self-determination and that every ethnic group had the right to form their own nation (The Principle of Self-Determination). This created a lot of mishaps, most notably with Poland which had to be given a corridor to the Baltic Sea thus severing Germany into two unlandlocked areas. This humiliated Germany and was one of the reasons Hitler invaded Poland in order to reunite the two separate land pieces. Furthermore, his stubbornness to compromise with the Republican led congress led to the failure of American membership in the League of Nations, stripping it of effective power. This stubborn inability to compromise with congress and educate the United States public out of isolationism was a main factor of why the U.S. stood by as Hitler and Mussolini began gobbling land up. If the US was more involved it may have convinced the war weary French and British to intervene before Hitler gained the strength that he did. (Although this is not entirely his fault because he had a massive stroke while trying to persuade the American public to accept membership in the League of Nations that rendered him unable to do much). All in all, his foreign policy after WWI was a disaster and is one of the (many) factors that led to WWII.
Although Wilson meant well, his failure after WWI is more than enough to keep him out of the top ten. In fact, I would put George Washington in the number two spot for all the important precedents he made for the presidency (Only taking two terms being one).
Wilson absolutely sucked. His wife was President toward the end of his term, after a stroke, or some such. He approved the formation of the Federal Reserve, and we’ve gone downhill ever since. What about Ike!!! No President did more in the army than Jackson? What was D-Day? The regimental picnic? Eisenhower presided over some of the greatest prosperity this country (or any other, ever) has ever seen. And it’s tremendously unfortunate that the nation chose not to heed his warning about the Military-Industrial Complex. How many Presidents graduated West Point? I few I’d wager.
Most of the men on this list were despicable psychopaths, but there is a theory that this is what makes a great president.
If I had a vote I’d cast it for Dwight Eisenhower, the last truly strong AND decent man to hold the office. (Carter and Ford were decent but not strong, Johnson and Reagan were strong but not were horrible pieces of human filth, Kennedy was vastly overrated, and Nixon was nuts. Clinton and the Bushes are not worth mentioning in the same breath as the rest.)
I say get replace Wilson with Eisenhower.
GEORGE WASHINGTON! If ever a list lacked someone, it’s this one. Without George Washington, there wouldn’t have ever been a “President”. Everyone offered him the CROWN to the United States, but he refused.
No matter what political decisions he made there after, he should be recognized as one of the greatest for denying the temptation to create yet another monarchy. He refused to accept full power over a nation, and secure America’s freedom from that point onward!
BTW…Andrew Jackson killed thousands of Natives in his quest for land. I don’t think he should get a spot…pure greed.
What? No George Dubya Bush??? That’s completely unacceptable. In his own words, this list is outragified. How can u make a list of great presodents withtout includifying the bestest ever. I bet he is very offensated.
this is the worst list ever put on this site. Ever hear of this guy named George Washington? Yea…. leading the colonial army against ridiculious odds and certain death if captured. Not a big deal apparently.
Now Kennedy, truthfully the guy didn’t do that much. He made some speeches and then he got shot. He’s a likeable matyr and its the only reason he became a cultural icon. Not to mention his connections with the mafia and his infidelity. yea….great guy.
WORSTLISTEVER: Thanks Lee Harvey Oswalt.
Worstlistever: Yes maybe, but at the time he united a country bruised by the civil rights movement/fiasco, he fostered a climate (at least publicly) that allowed for the I have a Dream moment and most importantly (and a more unfortunate demise imho) he got Bobby Kennedy in a position to effect change. He belongs.
Mom424: JFK also put us in a fiasco, when the Soviet Union started to put nuclear arms in Cuba. He did bail us out; but, the reason the Soviets tried to put them in Cuba was because the leaders in Moscow thought JFK was soft. In the deal with the Soviets he gave up missile sites in Turkey, and promised to respect the sovereignty of Cuba; thus, keeping Castro in power.
Also, MLK would have flourished with or without JFK. Martin Luther King was one of the greatest persons in our history. That’s like saying Teddy created an environment that allowed the e=mc2 theory.
Kennedy was just a face, he did not do anything of significant value. The only two things that are ever cited about him are founding the Peace Corps and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Although the Peace Corps is an admirable organization most historians debate Kennedy’s handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis. In the end I would rather have seen Lyndon Johnson instead of Kennedy. The Vietnam War was a horrible mistake, but he was the only person with enough political clout to enact the Great Society and Civil Rights legislation.
Does anyone realise how insignificant a threat the Soviet Union was. If a war did begin in the Bay of Pigs fiasco, the Soviets might have done some damage, but they would have been completely wiped out by the US. At the time the Soviets had 9 nucleur silos trained on the States, while America had 480 pointed back at them. Those numbers alone speak of how much of a threat the Soviets really were. And
Woodrow Wilson may have been good for the US, but that crap about the 14 point peace plan, otherwise known as the Woodrow doctrine, has indirectly caused a vast number of deaths throughout the third world. This is because the Woodrow doctrine has provided the legal basis to allow the US to destabilise governments in developing countries. Often this has occured simply to protect financial interests, by pillaging their natural resources. In Guatemala alone, since the 50′s, about a million indiginous people have been slaughtered under CIA backed dictatorships. All thanks to Woodrow Wilson providing the legal impetus. So that guy sucked ass.
If a serial killer is effective… it does’t make him great.
This list and some of the commentary disappoints me.
First, Kennedy was not a great president- far from it. I whole-heartedly agree that his assasination saved his reputation and gave him a legacy. Beyond his image, what did he really do? He led us to complete disaster with the bay of pigs.
Secondly, in regards to Washington- he was an amazing president. Or rather, he was an incredibly influential leader. In case you’ve forgotten, he was the first (and still one of the few) world leader to refuse power. Despite our wishes to crown him, he shyed away from that type of control and authority. His focus was on running our nation- not becoming another monarch. This set the tone for all our future presidents. Not-to-mention his beliefs in isolationism and avoiding any foreign entangling aliances. This too influenced in the immediate and long-run. He wasn’t great because he was the first or what he did- it was rather what he didn’t do that made the most powerful statement of all.
Lastly, lets be frank. Most other men on this list would not have made the same refusal that Washington did (AHEM FDR)
I haven’t read through all of the comments, but I haven’t noticed any outrage about Jackson. Ever hear of the Trail of Tears? This along with slavery is one of the worst blemishes in American history. Interactions with the Native Americans has always been a horrible practices throughout history, but this is easily the peak of atrocities done to the Native population.
George Washington has to be in the top 10, just for the fact that he developed the basic outline of what the presidency should be. There is nothing in the constitution creating cabinet posts. Washington knew he alone couldn’t handle the job and realized he would need the expertise of others in running the young country. He held the young country together in a time where a strong leader was needed.
As for Abe Lincoln, he was a truly great leader, but like all of the “greats” he was there at the right time. Would he still be considered one of the best if the Civil War didn’t happen during his presidency. True this is all speculation, but I feel that a man that was able to lead America not only through the Great Depression, but also through World War II is a more deserving candidate for the top spot.
I agree that Ronald Reagan and George Washington should be on the list.
Glad Reagan didn’t make the list, he doesn’t deserve the honor, appalled that George Washington wasn’t on the top.
Okay…….( takes a deep breath),
For the George Washington boys/girls,
You guys tell me why George Washington should be included? All his trademark American values were equally shared by other presidents too, for example Thomas Jefferson who is on this list. Plus, historians now say that he wasn’t all that great a general to begin with; in comparision Andrew Jackson was better and more skillful,who is again included in this list. So there you go, that justifies my exclusion of the 1st president of The United States of America. He wasn’t by any means average, way more accomplised than that, it’s just that he just was outdone by the others.
Some of you have just come here with stereotyped images of the Great George Wshington fixed in your mind. See for yourself and study every single president, then only will you
realize the fact that there were other presidents whose achievements surpass that of Mr.Washington. If you hold the opinion that setting the foundation for a nation is the most important thing, well then I can compredhend; that is your opinion, which you are rightly entitled to.
144. YogiBarrister,
I’m glad you think that way about Reagan. He was one of the most popular , but his achievements during presidency don’t quite accord with his popularity.
About Mr.Washington, I’m still mystified.You guys just don’t get it do you? Being the first of the presidents got him a high stake in history but he simply wasn’t good enough to make it to the top 10. I had to be fair and consider every president( yes that’s correct,EVERY president)according to what they did, how well they did.
I left Egypt last December, and was amazed to find out they thought Carter was our best president.
Ro, again I don’t know your nationality, but it’s drilled into children’s heads in America that George Washington is some mythological god of a president. Him and Christopher Columbus. You could walk into any kindergarten class and hear “Who was our first president, boys and girls? George Washington! He chopped down a cherry tree and told the truth when his father asked him! He stood on a rowboat crossing the Patomic and posed for a painting! He holed up in a camp for a winter, surviving on nothing but flour-cakes!”, ad nauseum. (By the way, boys and girls, only the last one is true.) So discluding Washington is, to some, is like discluding the flag on a list of “most patriotic American items”.
It’s a knee-jerk reaction to Americans. They must have their George Washington on their list of best presidents! Of course, half of them aren’t even coming up with reasons WHY he should be number 1. It’s just, like, obvious, duh! (Or is it?)
Knew I should have fact-checked: the river was the Deleware, not the Potomac (also spelled incorrectly).
Yes Andrew Jackson was a bad man when it came to Indians and I apologize for the strong emotions I have evoked.
What I will not apologize for is him making it to this list.
I don’t necessarily see George Washington as a good president considering he helped found this nation on a equal basis of equality…for white ppl only.
Goodness gracious!
So much controversy. I just finished reading all the comments and it feels terrible. Opinions- what to do with them?
Oh, by the way I didn’t include Truman because he dropped the atom bomb. Now, don’t give me that talk about big decisions,what he did was wrong, playing God with people.
And consequentially, kennedy took his spot on #10.
Specter,
Carter WAS your best president. You in yours and his country just didn’t appreciate him.
Respectfully
Good point, Ro- my dislike of Andrew Jackson as a person clouds my judgement of him as a president.
74. Cedestra
Thank you Cedestra, it means a lot to me. The thing is I bid good riddance to all of the influences which could make me biased and started with a fresh mind. Then I tried to know all about each of the 43 presidents( using books and documentaries mostly)I could based upon how effective they were and came down to ten.
You surely are very astute looking through the list and into my mind.
America LOST the war of 1812. The British actually sacked Washington DC.
George Washington should be first on the list for so many historical reasons that have nothing to do with him being the first president.
JFK didn’t do anything. He’s a cultural icon like marylin monroe.
Whoever made this list just copied and pasted from wikipedia. You obviously don’t know your history.
Spanner in the worksj : your *****ing stupid. What the ***** makes jimmy carter the best president? being a limpdick i guess
You people have to understand that the occurances in the economy during a man’s presidency do not necessarily reflect his performance. Clinton was hailed as a great President because of the economical growth and prosperity that we were experiencing. And although he did cut Welfare, that was about the only good thing he did for the economy. The rest of it was delayed action from the Reagan era. It takes a few years for government policies to take effect, and by that time, the next president is taking all the credit for the one who preceded him. Reagan was a great president, but the lack of knowledge of economics in the U.S. results in misconception, not to mention an inordinate amount of people wanting the government to intervene in peoples’ property and “spread the wealth” equally among those who don’t work for it.
Professor Ro? How about the time George Washington threw a silver dollar across the Potomac? He knew how to make money go a long way.
In the case of being president, being the first is important. Washington had to get it right in order for the Republic to succeed.
As an outsider, I don’t rate a direct opinion, just a few flippant remarks so far (to conceal a lot of admiration). Those of my fellow Brits who’ve considered kicking out our heriditary monarchy have realised that replacing it is not that easy. All things considered, you statesiders have made a pretty good job of it, and a lot better than some others.
Despite your own internal controversies here, I’d like to thank you all for opening up my vista of this subject, which was (and still is) scrappy to say the least. My father collected postage stamps fanatically, I did too for a while as a kid. Many American presidents were just names and faces on those stamps for me. Lately that has been directly replaced by the presidents’ pickled, talking heads in ‘Futurama’. School history lessons; the times I’ve lived through; and my own specialities, among others have brought a few to life and put odd scraps of flesh on some of those. This column (I’m still reading) is adding a lot to that.
At school primary level, we learned the received basics about Washington and Lincoln, as under heavy dispute here. As history became more detailed, the name of Wilson featured, along with the politics of isolationism. It’s interesting for me to find here someone expounding at length precisely what we we taught about Wilson’s idealistic and unrealistic role during and after the First World War. When I first entered the Listverse postings and wrote that in another context (Conspiracies), I was informed that was a mistaken view. Obviously, with Britain as a former European imperial power, the Monroe doctrine also became familiar, and has cropped up as recently as the Falklands War, with debates over whether it was less to do with anti-colonial idealism than geopolitical spheres of influence.
The ‘Special Relationship’ a phrase coined by Churchill and continuing through to Blair and Bush, has been a keystone of British interest, and arose during my first personal awareness. FDR and Churchill were the two heroes who saved me from Hitler (could never put the cold, mean-looking Uncle Joe up there with them). I was surprised to learn later that their relationship was not the total buddy-buddy I’d always supposed, and that Churchill had tried so endlessly and in vain up to Pearl Harbour to persuade FDR to help smash Hitler. I feel no one can say FDR precipitated America into that war. But we can at least be mightily thankful for the life-line of lease-lend his government set up. Ike was another hero of my youth, even though we (not least Churchill) were already recognising that the U.S.A. was taking over the reins from us in virtually every important aspect of the war and beyond, and this was inevitable. Then there was Truman and The Bomb. I invite those who critise their country for its use to take a time-trip back to the context. You’d be surprised how different your perspective would be.
After the war, and with ever more sophisticated news media systems, American presidential elections and presidential world politics became ever more like a detatched bit of our own that we were unable to influence by votes. We usually had those we shouted for and wanted to win, those we disliked. But Brits were as variable in their favours as Americans. I remember following Watergate on the radio as avidly as any soap opera, almost hour by hour in its final phase.
Finally there are one or two presidents, also known in a wider context, who’ve figured through my own interest in natural history. Teddy, the founder of Yellowstone (even if originally partly for hunting). Reagan for his idiotic statements about trees polluting the planet. And a special hero of mine, Thomas Jefferson, after whom a delightful small genus of plants is named, Jeffersonia. How appropriate!
WORST LIST EVER
What about my *****ing stupid?
Or do you you mean you’re *****ing stupid? In that case take an elementary English lesson, *****ing stupid, and at the same time sharpen up you ability to detect a piece of obvious irony.
Hasta la vista, baby
But thanks for taking the trouble to respond.
Barky(Comment #157); And damn good thing too, otherwise I’d be an American.
WorstListEver; It is you’re (you are) *****ing stupid. And the reason Jimmy Carter is actually respected elsewhere in the world is due to the man himself as much as his policies. He was honest, humble, intelligent, and realized that power and responsibility go hand in hand. He was concerned about the welfare of those affected by American foreign policy and not just in The United States. In other words a man of principle. He did not lie, cheat or manipulate the American public nor the rest of the world. A man in public service whose sole motivation was to actually serve the public. Not to accumulate power nor for personal aggrandizement. A decent, privately religious, (much more Christian than most who proclaim such) non-judgmental, and decent human being.
Is it any wonder that many Americans treat him with contempt?
Mom424
Beautifully put. I didn’t do Jimmy justice because I was more interested in booting WORST LIST EVER. I might in fact have been more ironical still and said that Jimmy Carter was too good a man to be a president, or at least too honest a man. I’m sure you know that the worst thing a politician can do in public is to admit honest doubt or apologise. That’s a career killer and explains exactly the old dictum that people get the politicians they deserve.
As a human being, he’s up there with Jefferson for me.
Spanner in the works: Thank you very much. One of my favorite politicians anywhere and of all time is Jimmy Carter. Did you know that he is one of (2nd I believe) the most intelligent presidents in the last 50 years? This should be taken with a grain of salt seeing as Bill Clinton has a documented IQ rating of 182. Goes to show you that intelligence can be overcome if you have the morals of a mongoose.
How is it that the current President of the United States, and arguably the most powerful man in the world, has an IQ level 40 points below a middle-aged, middle-class, pretty much average house-wife and mother in backwater Ontario? And damn-it-all-to hell, I’m not even the smartest person in my family. There is a definite problem here; how come so many can be fooled so easily? It is so much like a bad movie; the power brokers pick the face and put whatever words they want into his mouth. Generally the whatever the public wishes to hear in order to keep those same brokers in their positions of power. Geez, politics suck!
NO, NO, NO!! I don’t care if Andrew Jackson singly handedly saved Christmas, he was a mass murderer and a complete piece of *****. Reading the summaries of his presidential reign is nauseating. If people are going to criticize Bush for his unacceptable foreign policies regarding the ‘War on Terror’ as an obvious ploy for oil, try keeping in mind that Jackson up rooted tens of thousands of people from their homes, indirectly
killing over 4,000, partly because of pressure from southern states that discovered gold on Native American land. There is no excuse for that.
Jackson didn’t smash the British. You need to reword that. If anyone smashed anyone in that, the Canadians/British did it to you.
And the reason the League of Nations failed was because they never wanted to act against any powerful countries. It was all fun and good when countries no one cared about needed help, but if it was Italy? The United States’ inolvement would have helped it greatly, but it was by no means neccessary.
Mom424,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Presidents_IQ_hoax.
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bliq-bush.htm
If that was what you were talking about I’d like to say you should check your facts.
Insulting someone without actually checking facts makes me think you are the real person that “has an IQ level 40 points below a middle-aged, middle-class, pretty much average house-wife and mother in backwater Ontario”
If this is not what you were talking about, then I’d like to see some solid facts that George Bush has indeed the iq level you said.
The absence of George Washington confirms
the absence of intelligence of the list compiler.
Andrew Jackson and FDR do not deserve to be on this list. FDR got the US out of the depression, but he used a lot of quick fixes back then to get us out that we are now feeling the pain of today. He was also a dictator in the fact that he ruled for almost 12 years. I dont care if the president is incredible, they still dont deserve more than two consecutive terms. Andrew Jackson was a racist that kicked the cherokee indians out of Georgia and was solely responsible for the trail of tears which followed the cherokees being kicked out of Georgia and relocated to Oklahoma. This was also after the US supreme court ruled the indians could stay. Would you name Hideki Tojo a great leader for the Bataan Death March.
Umm… Correct me if I’m wrong, but this list seems like blatant sarcasm to me.
“Slowly over the course of the next few months he bullied Mexico in to a war it didn’t want to fight. America won and took not only California but what is now all of Nevada and parts of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.”
“The Tariff act was passed in 1832, which would be significant to America’s economy forever. When North Carolina had other opinions about the act, Jackson made it clear that no state had the right to break national laws and threatened to use the army if necessary to save the union.”
“He began to reform the federal government and at the same improved civil service to get better workers. He forced the railroads to return 81 million acres of government which they had taken illegally.”
That doesn’t sound like flattery to me…
Ro- Great list. I applaud your decision NOT to put Washington at #1. If I were doing a list, I’d probably scribble him into the top spot and go about filling in the rest. I’m american, it’s what we’re taught and it’s ingrained to a shocking degree. To not see that is refreshing and, I think, bold of you. It could well be seen as attempting to ‘stir’ controversy but the reasons you gave and your tone while giving them make me believe this is your true and honest conclusion.
I wish listversers could speak in more ‘me’ sentences. ‘I’d have put…’ instead of ‘You should have put…’. I mean really, each list is just the opinion of the author, usually, but not always, supported with facts. Comments are for dissent and rebuttal as well as agreement, but declaring something so subjective as ‘wrong’ always makes it harder for me to get to the point that person is trying to make.
its wrong if TR isnt first
thats my opnion
Ok, seriously did you EVER take an American History class in High School? Andrew Jackson does not deserve to be on this list, in fact, he should have been on the other list of WORST presidents. Did we forget when writing this that HE FORCED NATIVE AMERICANS TO MARCH OUT OF THE KNOWN UNITED STATES IN WHAT CAME TO BE KNOWN AS THE TRAIL OF TEARS?!?!?! He was also opposed to Alexander Hamilton’s national bank proposal and in a cruel twist of irony was placed on the most used piece of currency in the world. Ever heard of the term “kitchen cabinet”? well Jackson was the reason for it. He used his own set of unofficial advisors that led to some the most destructive decisions in American history. (The Trail of Tears for one) And he was a major cause of the Civil War with the 1832 Tariff Act. OMFG U F-ING IDIOT READ A HISTORY BOOK FOR GOD’S SAKE!!!
Oh, by the way, AMERICA LOST THE WAR OF 1812 AND THE BRITISH BURNED DOWN THE WHITE HOUSE YOU RETARD!!!!!
There is an error in the Andrew Jackson portion. It was South Carolina that was apart of the Nullification Crisis not North Carolina.
Diamond Dragon: I am aware that the man is not a total idiot, and I am also aware of the hoax with the supposed institute in Scranton. There have been other, more reputable estimations since then – around 110 is the most current estimate I could find. So I exaggerated my own genius by a little
for effect, but the point still stands. Most Listverse regulars are heads and tails ahead of the Bushster, and at least a couple of them would make much better presidents. You’ve all been bamboozled by the political one-two punch of wealth and power. Twice.
t_man, you’re right about Andrew Jackson being a man of questionable morals but wrong about the United States losing The War of 1812. In fact Jackson won a battle in New Orleans to ice the victory. If we had lost that war, wouldn’t Americans be speaking English today?