The following article discusses some of the greatest American presidents in history. Among them are George Washington, Andrew Jackson, James Madison, and William Henry Harrison. The worst ranked presidents are Andrew Johnson, James Buchanan, and Franklin Pierce. The greatest president from 1837 to 1869 was Abraham Lincoln.
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was a politician and military officer who became the ninth President of the United States. Harrison died less than a month after he was sworn into office. His brief tenure as president ranks as one of the shortest of all U.S. presidents. In addition, Harrison was the last president born a British subject in the Thirteen Colonies. In addition to serving as President, Harrison was also the grandfather of Benjamin Harrison.
Despite his short tenure as president, William Henry Harrison remains one of the greatest American presidents. Although his career in federal politics was unimpressive, his military service was better than those of his contemporaries. His wife, Anna Harrison, outlived him by two decades and became the first presidential widow to receive a $25,000 pension from Congress and free postage on all mail.
After serving as governor of Indiana, Harrison won the presidency with a huge margin. He received 234 electoral votes, defeating Martin Van Buren. However, his presidency lasted only a month before he died of pneumonia in Washington, D.C.
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was an American president who served two terms. During his time in office, he took a variety of controversial steps that shaped the United States. For example, he closed the Second Bank of the United States, which contributed to the nation’s widespread depression and caused a number of problems for his successor. His actions also impacted the Cherokee Tribe, who were removed from the territory to be part of the Indian Territory by Jackson’s government.
Jackson was elected to the presidency through a large coalition of interest groups. However, his first term was filled with disputes with Congress over issues such as road building and the Bank of the United States. Despite these challenges, he was ultimately successful in shaping the Office of the President and setting a new standard for strong American Presidents.
During his presidency, Jackson championed the common man against the dominance of corporations. While some historians see his removal of American Indians as a regrettable failing, it was an important issue for Jackson. This issue was central to his political agenda, particularly in the Southern states of Alabama and Mississippi, which were dominated by American Indians. In addition, Jackson backed a policy of instituting rotation of office for the office of president, which is now regarded as a positive change in American history.
James Madison
James Madison was born on June 24, 1751 in Virginia and later moved back to that state to serve as a member of the state legislature. During this time, he was very critical of the way state governments operated, often pandering to the desires of the people instead of taking a more balanced approach. Madison also felt that excessive democracy was causing unrest in many parts of the new nation.
James Madison’s political views are reflected in the Federalist papers and in his earlier writings. He described a faction as a group of citizens united by a common impulse, but which is hostile to the interests of other citizens and the permanent aggregate interests of a community. Although he accepted that partisan differences would always exist in a free society, he feared that they would create instability in public councils.
James Madison was born into a planter family in Virginia. His mother educated him, and he was the oldest of twelve children. At a young age, he attended the College of New Jersey, which is now Princeton University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1771 and was admitted as one of the college’s first graduate students.
George H. W. Bush
Before becoming president, Bush held a variety of high-level positions before becoming the 44th president of the United States. His father had been a U.S. senator, and he was a member of the Republican National Committee and an ambassador to the United Nations. He also served as the chairman of the Republican National Committee during the Watergate scandal.
Although most Americans don’t have the same positive views of him, his many accomplishments will be remembered by history. Bush’s efforts to build a strong international coalition before the Persian Gulf War will serve him well in future political science and historical assessments. Moreover, his personal life will provide historians and political scientists with a fascinating look at his father and son relationship.
George Herbert Walker Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts. He attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and enlisted in the Navy on his eighteenth birthday. As a fighter pilot in World War II, Bush earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. In fact, he was the youngest pilot in U.S. history to win the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was born in New Hampshire and served as the country’s president during the American Civil War. While he was a nationalist, he also tried to find a middle ground. Because of his efforts, the Union was not shattered and over 600,000 lives were saved. He was also a hard worker who was unfazed by political scandals.
After serving as president, Pierce was instrumental in preparing for the construction of the transcontinental railroad. He also advocated for the opening of the West to settlement. One of his greatest accomplishments was the purchase of southern Arizona and New Mexico from Mexico for $10 million. Another of his accomplishments was the attempt to purchase Cuba from Spain, but the latter refused.
Pierce was 47 years old when elected and was a member of the Eastern Democratic Party, which tended to side with Southern opinion. Although he did not fully articulate his views on slavery, he was popular enough to win the nomination. He had served in the Mexican-American War, and was widely regarded as a war hero. His nomination was unanimous on the 49th ballot. His vice-presidential choice was Alabama Senator William R. King.
Andrew Johnson
In 1866, Andrew Johnson undertook a speech tour of the Midwest to defeat congressional candidates who were opposed to his policies. His speeches were inflammatory and often rabble-rousing, resulting in violence in Indianapolis and the death of one man. However, his speeches helped the Radical party to win sweeping electoral victories, gaining strong majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives. These majorities were enough to override any presidential vetoes.
Johnson was born in 1808 and attended Raleigh Academy. As a teenager, he apprenticed with a tailor. Later, he fled North Carolina and set up a tailor shop in Greeneville, Tennessee. He met Eliza McCardle, who would later become his wife. In addition to his tailor shop, Johnson engaged in debates at the local academy. Andrew Johnson began his political career by promoting the cause of the common man. He opposed the plantation aristocracy and advocated for homestead legislation.
Andrew Johnson’s early years were not easy. His parents were poor and his father died when he was a young child. His mother remarried to a farmer. Andrew Johnson went on to become an alderman and mayor of Greeneville, Tennessee. In 1833, he became a state senator in Tennessee and served as a senator for two terms. In 1858, he became governor of Tennessee. He sought to pass the Homestead Bill, which became law shortly after leaving the Senate.
James Polk
Polk is remembered for a series of achievements that transformed the presidency. For instance, he gained the support of both parties and added the states of California, New Mexico, Texas, and most of the Oregon Territory to the United States. He also significantly reduced trade tariffs. Moreover, he oversaw the construction of the Washington Monument and the U.S. Naval Academy, as well as enacted the first postage stamps. The country under his leadership also achieved demographic parity with Great Britain.
Another great thing about James Polk is that he managed to achieve almost everything that he wanted to as a president. He helped settle the border dispute between the United States and Texas, founded the Department of the Interior, and strengthened the executive branch. His administration acted in a way that represented the interests of the entire nation.
Despite his lack of popularity upon entering the office, he went about his business in a systematic manner. He dominated his cabinet and staff, and worked well with the Congress. He also implemented every item of his political program. In addition to that, during his Presidency, the United States entered the Golden Age of American Literature, a time that produced writers like Poe, Hawthorne, Whittier, and Emerson.
Harry Truman
One of the most influential presidents in American history, Harry Truman grew up in a small town in Missouri. After graduating from high school, he worked as a haberdasher and a farmer. He eventually married Elizabeth Virginia Wallace, a wealthy Sunday school classmate. She later played a major role in Truman’s life. Truman was often seen moping around the White House and wrote wistful letters home to his wife. He was also born with bad eyesight and struggled financially.
The election of 1952 was a historic moment. Truman swept the election in a landslide, despite the opposition of liberals and Democrats on the left. Truman’s speech at the Democratic National Convention was a rare, powerful, and memorable moment in American history. His speech emphasized the importance of unity and the Constitution in the political process, and the war in the Pacific. Even old hand journalists agreed that Truman’s speech was one of the most memorable moments in American politics.
Truman’s own life influenced his political philosophy. His grandparents were Confederate sympathizers, and he grew up in a town near the border. The war, which began five years before the rest of the United States, affected Truman’s hometown. He recalled seeing Confederate veterans in his hometown of Independence. He believed that men on both sides were trying to protect property.