Top 10 Most Influential Presidents

On this President’s Day here is a list of presidents that are deemed influential. Not my personal list because of Andrew Jackson's treatment of the Native Americans, he would not make my list. For the Outstanding list Click Here

1. Abraham Lincoln

Reasons: Saved the Union during the American Civil War; leadership during the war eventually united the North and the South; Emancipation Proclamation led to abolition of slavery across the United States.

2. Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Reasons: Won four terms as president; Leadership throughout World War II; Worked to end the Great Depression with the creation of New Deal programs.

3. George Washington

Reasons: First president under the Constitution; set precedents that were followed by later presidents; Leadership during the Revolutionary War.

4. Thomas Jefferson

Reasons: Louisiana Purchase Territory doubled the size of the United States; Credited for writing the Declaration of Independence.

5. Andrew Jackson 

Reasons: Popular for humble beginnings; Appealed to the common man; Made the controversial decision for the removal of Native Americans east of the Mississippi; president during the 'Trail of Tears'; fought against the national bank.

6. Theodore Roosevelt

Reasons: Earned the title of 'Trust Buster' by fighting against corrupt businesses; Established numerous national parks to preserve wildlife.

7. Woodrow Wilson

Reasons: Led America during World War I; Hoped the US joined a League of Nations, the pioneer to the United Nations.

8. Harry S Truman 

Reasons: Made the decisions to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; presided over the end of World War II after taking over for FDR; Leadership during the beginning of the Cold War.

9. James K. Polk 

Reasons: Increased the size of the US with the acquisition of California, New Mexico, and Oregon Territory; Key figure in Manifest Destiny; Leader during the Mexican-American War.

10. Dwight Eisenhower 

Reasons: Economic Prosperity and leadership during the Cold War

It is interesting to note that Abraham Lincoln usually ranks at the top while Jefferson who is credited for writing the Declaration of Independence, which gave some Americans equality, ranks lower. Jefferson and the fore-fathers had the chance to make all men equal but it took Lincoln almost 100 years later with the 13^th amendment to free the slaves. And it would take these groups of people another 100 years to achieve Civil Rights. The lack of action taken by Jefferson and framers were short sighted or not far-sighted enough to make the change during their time. The same with the controversy over the second amendment, the framers could not see that not everyone have the right to bear arms. While the framers could have saved American from a brutal Civil War and the injustices of a group of people, they did not. Lincoln in essence manned up with the abolition of slavery to set America on the right path.