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Grading the US Presidents Does Anyone Deserve an "A"? Published February 15, 2006 by Nicholas Katers
Did you know?Gerald Boy was once a busboy.
TakeawaysFranklin Pierce fails in my mind for his pro-slavery stance and ineffective leadership.George Washington tops my list as the best president of all time.While Jefferson was victorious with the L.A. purchase, it brought a lot of administrative headaches.
The criteria for my evauluations of US presidents is as follows: 1) the ability to lead during a time of crisis; 2) the direction of the nation when the president left office; 3) the activities of the president before and after his term(s) in office. Along with the grade A-F is a brief description of how the grade was reached.
George Washington: A: A successful American soldier, a leader through the Era of Confederacy and a great manager in the first presidency. Staved off several possible coups and uprisings and set the two term precedent in order to avoid the appearance of impropriety.
John Adams: C: An adequate successor to Washington, but his presidency was more as a placeholder to Washington’s ideal of government than as a proactive executive.
Thomas Jefferson: C: The purchase of the Louisiana Territory was both a blessing and a curse, promising a great deal of resources for the young nation but also some headaches concerning how to administrate such a vast amount of space.
James Madison: B: Was active in fighting the Alien/Sedition Acts and was an important advocate of a strong executive during the Constitutional Congress. Despite some tactical blunders during the War of 1812, his greatest accomplishment was to stand up to Great Britain for territorial integrity.
James Monroe: C: Credited with the Monroe Doctrine and a new foreign policy for America, but was a contentious figure among his cabinet and was accused repeatedly of corruption.
John Quincy Adams: C: A successful lawyer, diplomat, and engineer of the Monroe Doctrine as Secretary of State. However, Adams was beleaguered by partisan politics from the new Democrats and had difficulty getting his agenda through. A defense lawyer during the Amistad trial and a convert to abolition before his death, he probably goes into the category of better statesmen outside the presidency than during his term in office.
Andrew Jackson: C: His first run at the presidency was responsible for the creation of the Democratic Party and his populist appeal was undeniable, including his opening of the White House to the common man and his fight against the Bank of the United States. His presidency is marred by open spite towards his enemies and the disgraceful treatment of the Native Americans during the Trail of Tears.
Martin Van Buren: C: Was successful on issues of an independent treasury and in foreign affairs, but was tied to Jackson’s Indian removal policy and a massive depression in 1837 damaged his standing as president. Ran later as an abolitionist against Zachary Taylor but was president during the Amistad case.
William Henry Harrison: D: The promise of Harrison’s presidency were never fulfilled since he died one month into office and he was largely a creation of his party, his campaign style was innovative and brought electoral politics into a more modern era.
John Tyler: F: With Harrison’s death, Tyler was the first vice president to succeed the president in death. Tyler was attacked relentlessly by opponents and was incapable of working even with members of his own party.
James K. Polk: C: Polk was an effective president in dealing with military affairs and helped expand America’s effective control to the Pacific Coast. However, the use of “manifest destiny” as a reasoning for expansion was dangerous for a country on the brink of civil war.
Zachary Taylor: D: A strong military leader, Taylor was also strongly in favor of preserving the Union without regard to what the new states of the West would choose as their course. Taylor, elected with support by Southerners, had difficulties thereafter in dealing with Congressional Southerners.
Millard Filmore: D: One of the few presidents of this era to earnestly attempt to solve ruptures in the nation, supporting the Compromise of 1850 in order to heal the nation and move it toward effective reunification. His party, however, was not in favor of the types of compromise that he promoted and choose Winfield Scott, a pro-slavery candidate, to run in 1852.
Franklin Pierce: F: Proslavery Northerner, Pierce was incredibly ineffective as a leader in an increasingly divided nation. He unevenly enforced federal laws dealing with slavery and was incapable of reuniting different factions of the Democratic Party.
James Buchanan: F: Last candidate of the slave South, Buchanan was an ineffective leader whom choose not to get involved in resolving the issue of state’s rights and slavery in the Western states.
Abraham Lincoln: A: Excited Illinois voters with his debates against Stephen Douglas, led a progressive Republican Party to early electoral success, managed the country through a contentious civil war, and was cut down before he fully realized a nation that was united around a common vision.
Andrew Johnson: D: In the shadow of Lincoln’s successes, Johnson was a failure with the exception of his ability to broker a deal between Radical Republicans and other moderate/conservative factions.
Ulysses S. Grant: C: The completion of the transcontinental railroad and his success as a Union general has been seen as minor compared to the rampant corruption in his offices and his inability to be an effective politician in a still-divided America.
Rutherford B. Hayes: D: Marred by controversy over the Congressional deal to ensure his electoral victory, Hayes was a man of great integrity and tried to reform the civil service system and end Union occupation of South.
James A. Garfield: D: Gunned down before he could achieve many of his goals, Garfield was responsible for opening up a new era in executive power by denying the Senate carte blanche over appointments.
Chester A. Arthur: D: Was a corrupt Republican operative until he became president and then fought for civil service reform successfully (Pendleton Act of 1883) though he angered many within his own party over his reformed ways.
Grover Cleveland: C: Elected to two non-consecutive terms, used the veto as a means to strengthen the executive, and was determined to create an integrity in Washington that was lacking. Fell victim to economic depression and partisan bickering within the Democratic Party.
Benjamin Harrison: D: Won a narrow victory over Grover Cleveland but took on many responsibilities of the office without delegation and tried to get out of his grandfather’s shadow unsuccessfully.
William McKinley: C: Was voted into office by both Northern and Southern voters, which bridged the electoral gap left by the Civil War. Aside from this and his ability to use modern campaign methods, McKinley waged war in Philippines and Cuba for questionable causes and brought the ire of many different groups for “imperialism” and for his use of money in campaigning.
Theodore Roosevelt: B: Successful as a soldier, New York politician, president, and writer after his presidency. Ushered in the idea of breaking up trusts, more aggressive diplomatic role globally, and the Panama Canal.
William Howard Taft: D: Taft, Roosevelt's handpicked successor, was more of a trustbuster than Roosevelt was but was a failure as a politician and placed third in his second election to Woodrow Wilson and Roosevelt. Was named a justice of the Supreme Court and chief justice, which fulfilled his main professional goal and redeemed some of his failures as a politician.
Woodrow Wilson: C: Wilson’s technical achievements, including the passage of an income tax amendment and the reform of many bureaucratic agencies was cut short by the onslaught of world war. His Fourteen Point were promising for a world ravaged by conflict, but were derailed by European quibbling and domestic partisan bickering. The last images of him as a physically disabled man were a haunting metaphor for isolationism in America.
Warren Harding: C: Harding’s infidelities, such as the Teapot Dome Scandal, did not really come to fruition until his death and he brought calm to a nation tired by the tumult of World War I.
Calvin Coolidge: C: Coolidge delegated much of his presidential duties to his cabinet, but presided over a prosperous period in the United States.
Herbert Hoover: F: The failure of the market during the stock market crash of October 1929 was only one aspect of his cursed presidency. His hands off approach to government was taken to an extreme when he called for the public to look to private charity and resiliency as the solutions to the crash and the public was resentful of this attitude.
Franklin Roosevelt: B: FDR was a solid president whose willingness to experiment with different legislation led the country through the Depression and through World War II. However, he was an average politician prior to the presidency which was saved by his family’s wealth and prestige.
Harry Truman: C: Truman was criticized for being too liberal at times, as well as ineffective as a leader for the nation. FDR’s shadow was cast wide over this compromise vice presidential pick and his career was marred by mediocrity.
Dwight Eisenhower: C: Eisenhower was a successful military leader and was popular during his two terms because of his approach to Communism and his hands off approach to running the government.
John Kennedy: C: Perhaps the most overrated of the American presidents, John Kennedy was an average senator, a visionary president whose visions (outside of going to the Moon) were either not achieved or were never undertaken.
Lyndon Johnson: F: The failures of the Vietnam War and of much of the Great Society legislative package has damaged his pre-presidential political success.
Richard Nixon: F: Whatever success Nixon had in winding down the Vietnam War, creating the Environmental Protection Agency, or in attempting to reform aspects of domestic policy, he will always be remembered for the Watergate break-in and the distrust in government that it brew.
Gerald Ford: F: Ford was thrown into a maelstrom after Nixon and Agnew’s resignations, but he did not help matters by appearing weak to the Soviets and pardoning Nixon and others.
Jimmy Carter: F: Though he inherited the presidency during a difficult time, his energy policies were woeful, his foreign policy only perpetuated problems in the Middle East, and he was ineffectual through much his term. His leadership after the presidency was not enough to warrant a passing grade for Carter, though his Habitat for Humanity projects are probably the best use of time by a president after his term.
Ronald Reagan: C: Reagan’s domestic successes were always questionable, but his leadership against Communism as well as his general success at reaching out to the American public.
George HW Bush: C: His successes during the Persian Gulf War were quickly wiped out by a crippling recession, fears that he was not a strong enough leader in the wake of the Reagan Iran-Contra crisis, and his inability to reach the common person.
William Clinton: B: Despite some personal infidelities, Clinton was an effective president. His presidency was a mixture of bartering with Republicans, becoming proactive in global affairs, and creating a surplus that was depleted during the Bush administration.
George W. Bush: C: His accomplishments before the presidency are dubious and mostly failures, while his presidency has been a mixture of gaffs and public relation coups. His leadership during the 9/11 attack and his decision to go after the Taliban was necessary, though his attacks on Iraq and his vitriolic language towards the Democratic Party have marred his presidency.
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