A front page story posted last night about the myth of Ronald Reagan generated a lot of discussion about our presidents, and it got me thinking about which presidents could be considered great. We've had a lot of really bad presidents. We've had some good presidents. And we've had few great presidents. The presidents I've listed are not all great-most are just good. But these are the ones I would consider to be the 10 best our nation has produced.
1. Abraham Lincoln
I doubt this selection really needs explanation. Won the Civil War. Delivered the Emancipation Proclamation. Saved the Union. Unfortunately, he gave birth to the Republican Party, a scourge on our nation to this day.
2. FDR
Many would probably put Washington here, or maybe at 1, but FDR arguably had a much harder job that Washington. Washington gets credit for being the first, which of course is difficult. But FDR saved the nation, both economically and in national security. The centerpiece of our recovery from the Great Depression was the New Deal, which included the following:
Reconstruction Finance Corporation(RFC): a Hoover agency expanded under Jesse Holman Jones to make large loans to big business.
United States bank holiday 1933: closed all banks until they became certified by federal reviewers
Abandonment of gold standard 1933: gold reserves no longer backed currency
Civilian Conservation Corps(CCC) 1933-1942: employed young men to perform unskilled work in rural areas; under United States Army supervision; separate program for Native Americans
Tennessee Valley Authority(TVA) 1933: effort to modernize very poor region (most of Tennessee), centered on dams that generated electricity on the Tennessee River
Agricultural Adjustment Act(AAA) 1933: raised farm prices by cutting total farm output of major crops and livestock
National Industrial Recovery Act(NIRA) 1933: industries set up codes to reduce unfair competition, raise wages and prices
Public Works Administration(PWA) 1933: built large public works projects; used private contractors (did not directly hire unemployed)
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation(FDIC)/Glass-Steagall Act: insures deposits in banks in order to restore public confidence in banks
Securities Act of 1933, created the SEC, 1933: codified standards for sale and purchase of stock, required awareness of investments to be accurately disclosed
Civil Works Administration(CWA) 1933-34: provided temporary jobs to millions of unemployed
Social Security Act (SSA), 1935: provided financial assistance to: elderly, handicapped, paid for by employee and employer payroll contributions; required 7 years contributions, so first payouts were in 1942
Works Progress Administration (WPA), 1935: a national labor program for more than 2 million unemployed; created useful construction work for unskilled men; also sewing projects for women and arts projects for unemployed artists, musicians and writers
National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) / Wagner Act, 1935: set up National Labor Relations Board to supervise labor-management relations. Modified by the Taft-Hartley Act(1947)
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), 1938: Insures crops and livestock against loss of production or revenue. Was restructured during the creation of the Risk Management Agency in 1996 but continues to exist.
Fair Labor Standards Act 1938: established a maximum normal work week of 40 hours and a minimum wage of 40 cents/hour and outlawed most forms of child labor
Rural Electrification Administration
Resettlement Administration: Resettled poor tenant farmers; replaced by Farm Security Administration in 1935.
Farm Security Administration: Helped poor farmers by a variety of economic and educational programs.
Despite GOP claims otherwise, the New Deal worked. Unemployment dropped consistently from 1932-1937, until FDR backed off the spending required. By that time, he had another crisis looming: World War 2.
America was staunchly isolationist, but FDR knew the U.S. would eventually need to join the conflict. On September 2, 1940, Roosevelt signed the Destroyers for Bases Agreement, which gave 50 American destroyers to Britain in exchange for military base rights in the British Caribbean Islands and Newfoundland. This was a precursor of the March 1941 Lend-Lease agreement, which began to direct massive military and economic aid to Britain, the Republic of China, and later the Soviet Union. Congress voted to commit to spend $50 billion on military supplies from 1941–45. In sharp contrast to the loans of World War I, there would be no repayment after the war. Roosevelt was a lifelong free trader and anti-imperialist, and ending European colonialism was one of his objectives.
So, FDR saved the economy and won WW 2. Greatest President right? Well, he could be. But it's almost sacriledge to not have Lincoln at number 1. And FDR gets points taken off for his inaction on race relations and his internment of Japanese Americans during WW 2.
3. Geroge Washington
He set the standards and protocols for what a President does and how he behaves. It's always hard to be the first. There were no major policy achievements for Washington-that really wasn't the job of the President in the early years. He put the country on stable footing, and that cannot be overestimated.
4. Theodore Roosevelt
Another Republican, I know. But he was the first RINO. His accomplishments include:
Antiquities Act of 1906: gave the president authority to restrict use of particular public land.
Elkins Act of 1903: forbade rebates that were offered by the rail road to corporations, which treated small Midwestern farmers unfairly, by not allowing them equal access to the services of the railroad.
Hepburn Act of 1906: strengthened the Interstate Commerce Commission; prior to that, the commission had minimal resources to carry out its duties.
Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and the Meat Inspection Act of 1906: Meat had to be processed safely with proper sanitation, giving the advantage to large packing houses and undercutting small local operations. Foodstuffs and drugs could no longer be mislabeled, nor could consumers be deliberately misled.
Roosevelt was also a force in foreign policy, both good and bad. His Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine essentially imposed American dominance over Latin America whether anyone else liked it or not. This effort included the building of the Panama Canal (Roosevelt initiated a coup to help get the project done). But he also had his better moments. In the summer of 1905, Roosevelt persuaded the parties in the Russo-Japanese War to meet in a peace conference in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, starting on August 5. His persistent and effective mediation led to the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth on September 5, ending the war. For his efforts, Roosevelt was awarded the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize.
Roosevelt became more progressive at the end of his term. He called on Congress to enact a series of new laws-the Square Deal, that would regulate the economy. He wanted a national incorporation law (all corporations had state charters, which varied greatly state by state); a federal income tax and inheritance tax (both targeted on the rich); limits on the use of court injunctions against labor unions during strikes (injunctions were a powerful weapon that mostly helped business); an employee liability law for industrial injuries (preempting state laws); an eight-hour law for federal employees; a postal savings system (to provide competition for local banks); and, finally, campaign reform laws. Unfortunately, these efforts were largely unsuccessful. Roosevelt was also the first presidential candidate to call for universal health care when he ran as the Bull Moose Party candidate in 1912.
Roosevelt would be docked points for his inaction on civil rights, as most presidents would. He had dinner with Booker T. Washington at the WH, but after the uproar caused by this, he forgot about any meaningful civil rights action.
5. JFK
Many historians would argue that JFK's lofty standing with the public is based on the nature of his death, but if you look at his achievements, they are quite substantial. Amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1961 greatly expanded the FLSA's scope in the retail trade sector and increased the minimum wage for previously covered workers. Retail and service establishments were allowed to employ full-time students at wages of no more than 15 percent below the minimum with proper certification from the Department of Labor. The amendments extended coverage to employees of retail trade enterprises with sales exceeding $1 million annually, although individual establishments within those covered enterprises were exempt if their annual sales fell below $250,000. The concept of enterprise coverage was introduced by the 1961 amendments. Those amendments extended coverage in the retail trade industry from an established 250,000 workers to 2.2 million.
Omnibus Housing Bill 1961: The bill proposed spending $3.19 billion and placed major emphasis on improving the existing housing supply, instead of on new housing starts, and creating a cabinet-level Department of Housing and Urban Affairs to oversee the programs. The bill also promised to make the Federal Housing Administration a full partner in urban renewal program by authorizing mortgage amounts to finance rehabilitation of homes and urban renewal Committee on housing combined programs for housing, mass transportation, and open space land bills into a single bill. Increased urban renewal grants from $2 to $4 million, additional 100,000 units of public housing. Provided opportunities for coordinated planning of community development: technical assistance to state and local governments. Refocus from wrecker ball approach to small rehabilitation projects to preserve existing ‘urban texture’.
The Manpower Development and Training Act of 1962: a three-year program aimed at retraining workers displaced by new technology. The bill did not exclude employed workers from benefiting and it authorized a training allowance for unemployed participants.
The Area Redevelopment Act: a $394 million spending package passed in 1961, followed a strategy of investing in the private sector to stimulate new job creation. It specifically targeted businesses in urban and rural depressed areas and authorized $4.5 million annually over four years for vocational training programs. The 1963 amendments to the National Defense Education Act included $731 million in appropriations to states and localities maintaining vocational training programs.
Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act: began a new era in Federal support for mental health services. The National Institute of Mental Health assumed responsibility for monitoring community mental health centers programs. Created a sixfold increase in people using Mental Health facilities. Medical Health Bill for the Aged (later known as Medicare) was proposed, however Congress failed to enact it.
The President’s Commission on the Status of Women was an advisory commission established on December 14, 1961, by Kennedy to investigate questions regarding women's equality in education, in the workplace, and under the law. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law on June 10, 1963.
The Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Offenses Control Act: The program aimed to prevent youth from committing delinquent acts. In 1963, 288 mobsters were brought to trial by a team that was headed by Kennedy's brother, Robert
John F. Kennedy initially proposed an overhaul of American immigration policy that later was to become the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, sponsored Senator Edward Kennedy. It dramatically shifted the source of immigration from Northern and Western European countries towards immigration from Latin America and Asia and shifted the emphasis of selection of immigrants towards facilitating family reunification. Kennedy wanted to dismantle the selection of immigrants based on country of origin and saw this as an extension of his civil rights policies.
And there were significant foreign policy achievements: A great success in the Cuban missile crisis, avoiding world war when all of his advisors seemingly yearned for it; he signed the first Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963; and he created the Peace Corps, one of our most successful international programs. Of course, there were mistakes, the Bay of Pigs Invasion, his administration's treatment of Latin America. And, there is Vitenam. Kennedy initially increased U.S. involvement in the region to 16,000 military personnel. But a tape recording of Lyndon Johnson confirms that Kennedy was planning to withdraw from Vietnam, a position Johnson states he strongly disapproved of. Additional evidence is Kennedy's National Security Action Memorandum (NSAM) 263, dated October 11, 1963, which ordered withdrawal of 1,000 military personnel by the end of 1963. Would we have been a devastating war had Kennedy lived? We'll never know.
Of cousre, no discussion of Kennedy's presidency can omit NASA. While we may question NASA's viability now, it was a vital part of our success in the Cold War and in the scientific advancement of our nation. Once again, it is unfortunate he did not live to see the fruits of his efforts.
6. LBJ
He would be higher if not for his greates folly, the Vietnam War. Take a look at his domestic achievements:
Civil Rights of 1964
Voting Rights
Immigration and Nationality Services of 1965
Civil Rights Act of 1968: banned housing discrimination and extended constitutional protections to Native Americans on reservations.
Job Corps: to help disadvantaged youth develop marketable skills
Neighborhood Youth Corps: established to give poor urban youths work experience and to encourage them to stay in school
Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA): a domestic version of the Peace Corps, which placed concerned citizens with community-based agencies to work towards empowerment of the poor
Model Cities Program for urban redevelopment
Upward Bound, which assisted poor high school students entering college
legal services for the poor
Food Stamps program
Community Action Program, which initiated local Community Action Agencies charged with helping the poor become self-sufficient
Project Head Start, which offered preschool education for poor children.
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965: It ended a long-standing political taboo by providing significant federal aid to public education, initially allotting more than $1 billion to help schools purchase materials and start special education programs to schools with a high concentration of low-income children
The Higher Education Act of 1965 increased federal money given to universities, created scholarships and low-interest loans for students, and established a National Teachers Corps to provide teachers to poverty stricken areas of the United States. It began a transition from federally funded institutional assistance to individual student aid.
The Bilingual Education Act of 1968 offered federal aid to local school districts in assisting them to address the needs of children with limited English-speaking ability until it expired in 2002[6].
Medicare and Medicaid
National Endowement for the Arts and the National Endowement for Humanities
Public Broadcasting Act of 1967: Created PBS
The Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964: provided $375 million for large-scale urban public or private rail projects in the form of matching funds to cities and states and created the Urban Mass Transit Administration (now the Federal Transit Administration).
Cigarette Labeling Act of 1965 required packages to carry warning labels.
Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 set standards through creation of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Fair Packaging and Labeling Act requires products identify manufacturer, address, clearly mark quantity and servings. Statute also authorizes permits HEW and FTC to establish and define voluntary standard sizes. The original would have mandated uniform standards of size and weight for comparison shopping, but the final law only outlawed exaggerated size claims.
Child Safety Act of 1966 prohibited any chemical so dangerous that no warning can make it safe. Flammable Fabrics Act of 1967 set standards for children's sleepwear, but not baby blankets.
Wholesome Meat Act of 1967 required inspection of meat which must meet federal standards.
Truth-in-Lending Act of 1968 required lenders and credit providers to disclose the full cost of finance charges in both dollars and annual percentage rates, on installment loan and sales.
Wholesome Poultry Products Act of 1968 required inspection of poultry which must meet federal standards. Land Sales Disclosure Act of 1968 provided safeguards against fraudulent practices in the sale of land.
Radiation Safety Act of 1968 provided standards and recalls for defective electronic products.
Then there are the Environmental protections: Clear Air, Water Quality and Clean Water Restoration Acts and Amendments Wilderness Act of 1964, Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, National Trails System Act of 1968, Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968, Land and Water Conservation Act of 1965, Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965, Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act of 1965, National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, Aircraft Noise Abatement Act of 1968, and National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.
These policies alons would rival FDR. But, LBJ has a huge black mark against him: Vietnam. Because of the 58,260 Americans KIA, 303,644 WIA, and 1,724 MIA, it is impossible to consider Johnson a great president.
7. Harry Truman
He would probably be the idol of Geroge W. Bush, not because of ideology, but because Truman left office very unpopular, but has since become one of the most highly admired presidents. He created the U.N., encated the Marshall Plan, instituted the "Comtainment" strategy of Cold War. The National Security Act of 1947 created CIA, NSC, and Air Force ( you can decide whether this was good or bad).
Truman also had sizable domestic achievements. He was successful in integrating the armed forces, he denied government contracts to firms with racially discriminatory practices, and he named African Americans to federal posts. Truman also ended discrimination for African Americans applying to civil service jobs. The Housing Act of 1949 led to the allocation of federal funds to go towards new housing projects, urban renewal, and more public housing. The Social Security Act of 1950 extended the coverage of social security to elderly Americans and raised the minimum wage.
There were also foreign policy achievements: the recognition of Israel,
the Berlin Airlift, substantial cuts in Defense spending, and the creation of NATO. But there was also a major blunder, the Korean War. This ill-advised war set the precedent for another ill-advised war, Vietnam.
8. Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson really gets on the list for one reason: the Louisiana Purchase. In all other aspects of his presidency, he looked to shrink the power of the federal government. In the process, he expanded it significantly.
9. Woodrow Wilson
Wilson created the Federal Reserve System. Was that good or bad? He created a new federal income tax (authorized by the 16th Amendment).
The "Seaman's Act" of 1915 improved working conditions for merchant sailors. As response to the RMS Titanic disaster, it also required all ships to be retrofitted with lifeboats.
The "Smith Lever" act of 1914 created the modern system of agricultural extension agents sponsored by the state agricultural colleges. The agents taught new techniques to farmers.
The 1916 "Federal Farm Loan Board" issued low-cost long-term mortgages to farmers.
The Federal Trade Commission stopped unfair trade practices. In addition, Wilson pushed through Congress the Clayton Antitrust Act, making certain business practices illegal (such as price discrimination, agreements prohibiting retailers from handling other companies’ products, and directorates and agreements to control other companies). The power of this legislation was greater than previous anti-trust laws, because individual officers of corporations could be held responsible if their companies violated the laws. More importantly, the new laws set out clear guidelines that corporations could follow, a dramatic improvement over the previous uncertainties.
Wilson also had a war of his own, World War 1. Due to his action, he became a hero in Europe. He proposed the League Of Nations, a precursor to the United Nations, but the treaty was never ratified by the Senate, due largely to Wilson's incapacitaion from a stroke.
Wilson gets major black marks for his handling of civil rights. To be clear, he did absolutely nothing, bowing to pressure from the southern members of his party.
10. James K. Polk
Polk is largely overlooked by Americans, but I feel he rightly deserves sich a high ranking. He re-established the Independent Treasury System. He reduced tariffs. He oversaw the acquisition of some or all the Oregon Country and the acquisition of California and New Mexico from Mexico. He created the Deptartment of the Interior, and he added 3 states: IA, TX, WI. His policies were expansionist, the idea of Manifest Desinty became popular under Polk. But our country would not exist as it does without him. For that, he deserves credit.