List your top five presidents in ranked order.
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Abraham Lincoln
Ronald Regan
Herbert Hoover
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Abraham Lincoln
Ronald Regan
Herbert Hoover
2. What were your five judging criteria, and why did you
choose them?
Understood public and private integrity
Put the needs of the nation before party politics
Leaders, in more than just the sense of the office they held.
Took responsibility for their actions and the fate of the nation
Had some kind of work ethic before, during and/or after their presidency.
I believe these reflect an ideal candidate or president. Responsibility and accountability are sorely lacking in this day and age, especially in finger-pointing politics.
Understood public and private integrity
Put the needs of the nation before party politics
Leaders, in more than just the sense of the office they held.
Took responsibility for their actions and the fate of the nation
Had some kind of work ethic before, during and/or after their presidency.
I believe these reflect an ideal candidate or president. Responsibility and accountability are sorely lacking in this day and age, especially in finger-pointing politics.
3. Did you and your partner largely agree with the criteria
and the list of top five presidents, or was there some disagreement? Explain.
There was disagreement, they thought George Washington was too stereotypical, when he was just the first president, and nothing bad really happened under him. They didn’t like they hype about Abraham Lincoln, especially when the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t do what everyone thought it did and he had suspended habeas corpus. No one really likes Herbert Hoover because of the bad press of The Great Depression. But I think there is more to these men than just what some textbooks or some biographical analysis says.
There was disagreement, they thought George Washington was too stereotypical, when he was just the first president, and nothing bad really happened under him. They didn’t like they hype about Abraham Lincoln, especially when the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t do what everyone thought it did and he had suspended habeas corpus. No one really likes Herbert Hoover because of the bad press of The Great Depression. But I think there is more to these men than just what some textbooks or some biographical analysis says.
4. What are some common features that you noticed about your
top five presidents?
All of them had some kind of hands on work experience, either in tending their own land or in their chosen profession. They knew the value of money, of hard work and of someone’s honor and integrity. They believed in American Exceptionalism and that America had so much to offer the world as a nation.
5. Did any of your presidents govern during a time of crisis? If so, did they share anything in common with the way they handled each crisis?
George Washington didn’t govern during a crisis, but he did govern the first years of America as a nation, and did what he could to set an example of what a president could and should do. The closest he came to a crisis was when he was enlisted to aid in the French Revolution. One councilor was pro-France, the other Pro-Britain. Washington elected to remain neutral until the United States could grow stronger. Thomas Jefferson had to deal with political animosity and conflict and in his second term he did what he could to keep America out of the Napoleonic wars. Abraham Lincoln served during the Civil War, definition of governing during a time of crisis. He kept his head and his temper, never reacting executively with anger, and responding with humor to death threats. Ronald Regan served during a recession, managing to deal skillfully with Congress and help with curbing inflation, renewing growth and increasing employment. He handled relations with the Soviet Union and negotiated a treaty that would avert nuclear war. His long time goal was to achieve peace through strength. Herbert Hoover was president during the beginning of The Great Depression and was painted in a bad light because of his refusal to engage hand out welfare programs. He wanted to cut taxes and balance the budget to expand public works. He had opponents in Congress who circumvented his efforts to create a efficient and effective public works program who painted him as callous and unfeeling and cruel because he wouldn’t endorse welfare programs like the New Deal, of which he was an avid critic.
6. Were your top five presidents good at staying within the bounds of the Constitution? If not, what does this say about our countries highest office and the state of our democracy?
For the most part everyone on this list stayed within the bounds of the Constitution, the most notable discrepancies being Abraham Lincoln suspending habeas corpus for Confederate soldiers and generals, and Ronald Regan negotiating peace with the Russians. I think this says that the president should stay strictly within the bounds of the constitution unless the safety of the nation’s people is in jeopardy. In the case of Abraham Lincoln, he needed to ensure the safety of Union troops as well as people caught in the crossfire. Ronald Regan negotiated a treaty with the Soviet Union to ensure that a nuclear war wouldn’t happen, protecting Americans and Russians. Yes, they over stepped their bounds, but it’s easily arguable that lives were spared in these actions, and neither served an underlying agenda beneficial to the President, his party or other personal interests besides that of the wellbeing of America and her people.
All of them had some kind of hands on work experience, either in tending their own land or in their chosen profession. They knew the value of money, of hard work and of someone’s honor and integrity. They believed in American Exceptionalism and that America had so much to offer the world as a nation.
5. Did any of your presidents govern during a time of crisis? If so, did they share anything in common with the way they handled each crisis?
George Washington didn’t govern during a crisis, but he did govern the first years of America as a nation, and did what he could to set an example of what a president could and should do. The closest he came to a crisis was when he was enlisted to aid in the French Revolution. One councilor was pro-France, the other Pro-Britain. Washington elected to remain neutral until the United States could grow stronger. Thomas Jefferson had to deal with political animosity and conflict and in his second term he did what he could to keep America out of the Napoleonic wars. Abraham Lincoln served during the Civil War, definition of governing during a time of crisis. He kept his head and his temper, never reacting executively with anger, and responding with humor to death threats. Ronald Regan served during a recession, managing to deal skillfully with Congress and help with curbing inflation, renewing growth and increasing employment. He handled relations with the Soviet Union and negotiated a treaty that would avert nuclear war. His long time goal was to achieve peace through strength. Herbert Hoover was president during the beginning of The Great Depression and was painted in a bad light because of his refusal to engage hand out welfare programs. He wanted to cut taxes and balance the budget to expand public works. He had opponents in Congress who circumvented his efforts to create a efficient and effective public works program who painted him as callous and unfeeling and cruel because he wouldn’t endorse welfare programs like the New Deal, of which he was an avid critic.
6. Were your top five presidents good at staying within the bounds of the Constitution? If not, what does this say about our countries highest office and the state of our democracy?
For the most part everyone on this list stayed within the bounds of the Constitution, the most notable discrepancies being Abraham Lincoln suspending habeas corpus for Confederate soldiers and generals, and Ronald Regan negotiating peace with the Russians. I think this says that the president should stay strictly within the bounds of the constitution unless the safety of the nation’s people is in jeopardy. In the case of Abraham Lincoln, he needed to ensure the safety of Union troops as well as people caught in the crossfire. Ronald Regan negotiated a treaty with the Soviet Union to ensure that a nuclear war wouldn’t happen, protecting Americans and Russians. Yes, they over stepped their bounds, but it’s easily arguable that lives were spared in these actions, and neither served an underlying agenda beneficial to the President, his party or other personal interests besides that of the wellbeing of America and her people.
2 comments:
First comment, Yes, Washington governed during a crisis. That crisis was 'Could this idea of liberty work, AND, would he step down. I think folks do not give him enough credit for stepping down when his time was up. IT HAD NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE!
Dang it... I was in the frame of mind of "war" or "recession" being the only crises. Duh, of course his job was difficult. You're right, he doesn't get nearly enough credit.
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