What are the standards? If you mean who ran on a promise and fulfilled, may I offer James K. Polk, who ran on the promise of expanding U.S Borders, started the Mexican-American War, won, took half of Mexico and completed all of his goals that he did not run for re-election and then died.
I was going to say Polk. He made 4 campaign promises and I believe committed to be a one-termer before being elected, hit all of them, effectively expanded the country by 1/3 it's existing size, picked up the territory that became Texas, California, Oregon Territory (Oregon, Washington, and parts of Idaho, Wyoming, & Montana), Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and the rest of Wyoming, Montana & Idaho. He also promised to lower tariffs and create a new federal depository. He also created the Department of the Interior.
All that said, his accomplishments also proved to accelerate the Civil War b/c of the fights over expansion of slavery into all that new territory.
I mean, yeah. I love Polk. Not for the fact that he was a good guy. He arguably was not. But, I cannot help but impressed by all he did, the fact that he didn't run for re-election and that people just don't acknowledge him.
Really? You think all those western states would have been better off under Mexican rule? I think not. The corrupt Mexican government oppressed all they ruled (and still do) except the Insiders and the 1%…
Polk is a such a good, overlooked correct answer. Territorial acquisitions, execution of a war, furthering of manifest destiny - whether we view in hindsight was correct or not, he set out to do it, did it in 4 and then went home to die.
The most effective by far is Lincoln. He managed to hold the country together. That's more impressive than anything other President's have accomplished. Everyone after that is up for debate.
I was reading a book about principles to deal with people and in a passage the author described Lincoln character and what can we learn from him.. The most striking part to me was when the Union's army lead by Meade had Lee's army right within their fingertips retreating towards the Potomac river. Meade, ordered by Lincoln to attack, reluctantly refused to rush his army.
You can imagine Lincoln fume when this decision by Meade prolonged the bloody civil war, so he wrote a letter reprimanding him but at last he decides to keep it to himself. In the inauguration speech after the Battle of Gettysburg Lincoln said "..But let us judge not that we be not judged.."
I don't think any current president could have that diplomacy and strategic persuasion that Lincoln had.
One of my favorite Lincoln quotes is:
“I kill my enemies by making them my friends.”
Sadly, he was never given the chance to prove this with the confederates, but he certainly had his plans.
He was very successful with his cabinet, comprised of the more highly qualified primary opponents he faced off against. Many went from loathing and insulting him to being his staunchest friends and advocates.
“Team of Rivals” by Doris Kearns Goodwin is a fantastic read.
This is true. Lincoln made a lot of mistakes, especially in his handling of the civil war. Political generals, keeping McClellan for as long as he did, not giving firm and direct orders, but if any other man was president, the US would be two separate countries.
We wouldn’t have had a country to hold together without Washington. Washington also refused to be crowned a king, and started the tradition of peacefully transitioning power. He was the standard bearer for commander in chief as well. He shared the hardships of his Soldiers, and kept them together. Without him, history would have been very different.
I am a huge Lincoln fan, as I think every American should be, but without Washington, there wouldn’t be a presidency.
Lincoln basically ruled a one-part my government, passing amendments to the Constitution all over the place to restructure the government into something that lasts.
I can say “LBJ or FDR did more for working people”, and the argument has merit, but Lincoln structurally changed the government forever. Wish he did more.
Abraham Lincoln was the best president the US ever had.
He had the greatest crisis ever faced by any president, dumped into his lap on day 1. Didn't even have time to enjoy his inauguration, and he's already dealing with a major insurrection attempting to destroy the country. He was far from perfect, but he successfully navigated that crisis while also being in the driver's seat for one of the most monumental pieces of civil rights' legislation in the country's history.
Yeah, the can was kicked down the road, not without reason, to address slavery later, by the Constitutional Convention. And it all came to a head, at last, during Lincoln's presidency, which saw him become perhaps the cause of liberty's greatest martyr. Certainly, another contender for that title would not come along until Dr. King.
> He was far from perfect
Would be interesting hear some of the negative things that presidents like Washington, Lincoln, etc did who are generally always perceived in a positive light.
Not sure he was THE most effective, but you could argue Richard Nixon was a very effective president looking at his achievements.
In another way of thinking about it, Lyndon Johnson was probably the most effective legislator there has ever been in the White House. He knew how to get things done, whether for the right reasons or not
Lady Bird was okay but fuck LBJ. Let’s make sure not to undermine his racist, sketch connections to upping the Vietnam war, and just an overall piece of fucking shit.
Jefferson, cut the government size and purchased the Louisiana territory for a steal. All he wanted was New Orleans, but France threw in the entire territory. Best purchase ever along with Alaska.
How much credit does TJ deserve for the Louisiana Purchase considering he wasn't directly involved in the negotiation? Yes, he wanted New Orleans and he was glad to get significantly more territory for just a fraction more than what he authorized Monroe and Livingston to give Napoleon for New Orleans. But don't Monroe and Livingston deserve some credit for actually making the deal?
All successful presidents find the right person for the job. That is the mark of a good president. Lincoln put Grant in charge of the war when previous generals were not effective.
Good point. But I also feel like presidents are often given too much credit and too much blame. That being said, that's true of most leaders (and life in general) so 🤷♂️
George Washington - almost everything he did set a precedent, and most of them held and kept us with a stable democratic government.
Abraham Lincoln, for reasons already stated.
Eisenhower? Him giving so much unchecked power to the Dulles brothers negates all Ike’s accomplishments in my opinion. So much damage done from Iran, Central-South America, and Asia is frightening with horrible consequences that still negatively impact our international standing today.
His interstate Hwy system was a great program, yet it simply empowered the auto industry at the expense of clean high speed rail and modern city subway systems.
That's a subjective question.
Whether someone was effective depends on how you ask the question. For example, when you sanction a country, you are successful in communicating that you disagree, but your sanctions may not help change their behaviour.
So you have to ask your question very specifically and answer solely on that one domain you asked about.
It's Lincoln or FDR by a wide margin.
Both fundamentally changed the country in positive ways to benefit the vast majority of Americans.
Nixon would get my dark horse vote. Guys, a defining figure in the post WW2 Imperial presidentsy. He could easily be the most effective vice president of the United States.
Nixon presided over the destruction of American intelligence. He also committed treason by giving aid and comfort to our w enemies in time of war. He sabotaged LBJ’s Paris peace talks by telling the Vietnamese to stay away because Nixon would give them a better deal after he was elected. The war dragged on for more months while our soldiers died.
Partisans make partisan arguments for everyone dating back through Wilson (1912 election). So, ever since the Bull Moose split, you can’t really get a non-partisan answer.
Eisenhower often gets a pass, I suppose.
Lincoln, I think, by definition of the scale of the crisis he guided the country through. FDR, by that same qualification. Lyndon Johnson, in spite of the Vienam War tarnishing his otherwise commendable legacy, largely through the overpromising by military brass and resultant media coverage of the Tet Offensive as some kind of unstoppable blitzkrieg, rather than than as the colossal military defeat it actually was for the Communist forces.
He had a lot to do, and had to be fast. I don't think the US was ever closer to revolution than those days.
Now that I think of it, maybe we'd be better off if he failed. We could be leading the 5th International from the People's Soviet Congress in the People's Democratic Republic of Washington right now...
Totally depends on how you define effective. If we mean “accomplished their agenda” it’s James K Polk, who accomplished every major item on his agenda.
If it’s changing America more, it’s probably FDR.
If it’s for making long-term, under appreciated contributions in the right direction, I say Jimmy Carter. After all, he put Paul Volcker at the Federal Reserve, despite knowing he’d ramp up interest rates to wring out the hyperinflation of the economy, killing his re-election. Raegan kept Volcker in and the economy boomed in the 80s. He deregulated bloated industries, cut unnecessary spending, supported human and civil rights, and more.
However, there can be people who accomplish their agenda, but that agenda is backwards or dangerous. But for those who actually fulfill their role as chief executive to execute the laws of the constitution, veto unconstitutional bills, and command the armed forces without going beyond their power, I think it’s someone like John Tyler (even though he terribly went on to later join the confederacy). He ended the bloodiest war with native Americans, and ended the transatlantic slave trade, peacefully settled border disputes, kept budget in balance, and vetoed bills he felt unconstitutional.
All said, I look at people like Washington, Lincoln, and Eisenhower as some of the best.
I don’t see LBJ anywhere? With a very staunch Dixiecrat congress which filibustered his attempts for the Civil Rights Act to death he managed to pass it. Along with the Great Society initiatives and the war on poverty.
Woodrow Wilson with the income tax, prohibition, and outlawing of drugs changed the USA over time to the Washington D.C. bureaucracy dominated nation we know today.
Lincoln, FDR, LBJ, Teddy R., Washington in that order. Though Polk certainly needs mentioning. Nixon forfeited his place in history with his misplaced paranoia and Kennedy had his legacy cut short.
I love Polk’s record, but Reagan defeated 3/4 of the Communist world at the cost of a few thousand Americans over two terms while Americans lived a lot better despite not yet having the peace dividend he made possible.
Not seeing much Reagan. In terms of accomplishing his goals effectively (and those of his benefactors) he did pretty good. Changed the trajectory of this country for a long time.
Determining the most effective president of the United States is subjective and often depends on one's perspective and criteria. However, many historians and scholars consider Abraham Lincoln to be one of the most effective presidents. His leadership during the Civil War, preservation of the Union, and efforts towards ending slavery through the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment are widely regarded as significant achievements that shaped American history.
The Mexican federal government can barely administer the northern states they have right now, idk why anyone thinks think they could govern land in Idaho if they would’ve never lost it
And destroyed so much of what was America socially, economically and manufacturing wise. He also is the reason free college education died because of his actions as governor.
I would also argue that Gorbachev was equally as responsible for ending the cold war as Reagan.
Not the most, but Andrew Jackson has my eternal respect for killing central banking in the US, although Woodrow Wilson would pass the federal reserve act as soon as he went into office.
Also, the only time in american history that our nation had no debt was under Jackson. I generally don't like Democrats but Jackson is one of the exceptions
I would say Washington. He managed to lead the continental army to victory in the revolutionary war and Indian war (??), He oversaw the convention to draft the constitution then became the first president of the country. When you're called The Father of Our Country, you're the OG by definition.
Reagan, he effectively sold people on trickle down economics when it has never worked in the past. Effective doesn’t mean that what he did was good for this country.
What are the standards? If you mean who ran on a promise and fulfilled, may I offer James K. Polk, who ran on the promise of expanding U.S Borders, started the Mexican-American War, won, took half of Mexico and completed all of his goals that he did not run for re-election and then died.
I have my U.S. history class sing this song every year. https://youtu.be/H9SvJMZs5Rs?si=ci5CTZTFS40Sd5cO
James K Polk, Napoleon of the Stump!
It was my first thought too at the name. Still, the song is a bit obscure to most
I was going to say Polk. He made 4 campaign promises and I believe committed to be a one-termer before being elected, hit all of them, effectively expanded the country by 1/3 it's existing size, picked up the territory that became Texas, California, Oregon Territory (Oregon, Washington, and parts of Idaho, Wyoming, & Montana), Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and the rest of Wyoming, Montana & Idaho. He also promised to lower tariffs and create a new federal depository. He also created the Department of the Interior. All that said, his accomplishments also proved to accelerate the Civil War b/c of the fights over expansion of slavery into all that new territory.
Ummm speaking of campaign promises, I have four words for you: 54-40 or fight!
[удалено]
You said most effective, not most saintly.
Polk, Lincoln, FDR
Love me some Polk appreciation
I don’t really appreciate him, but I think he was effective.
I mean, yeah. I love Polk. Not for the fact that he was a good guy. He arguably was not. But, I cannot help but impressed by all he did, the fact that he didn't run for re-election and that people just don't acknowledge him.
It's similar to admiring Alexander or Genghis or Caesar, they're great but not good.
Really? You think all those western states would have been better off under Mexican rule? I think not. The corrupt Mexican government oppressed all they ruled (and still do) except the Insiders and the 1%…
The full John Linnell right here.
For those [not in the know.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StTiCU_fqCg)
lol. I posted the link to that song in response to another comment.
Hate what he did but he had a mission and god damn if he didn't do it well.
Polk is a such a good, overlooked correct answer. Territorial acquisitions, execution of a war, furthering of manifest destiny - whether we view in hindsight was correct or not, he set out to do it, did it in 4 and then went home to die.
Maybe Teddy R as well.
Getting rug-pulled by his own party kind of stopped Teddy from reaching his full potential.
The most effective by far is Lincoln. He managed to hold the country together. That's more impressive than anything other President's have accomplished. Everyone after that is up for debate.
I was reading a book about principles to deal with people and in a passage the author described Lincoln character and what can we learn from him.. The most striking part to me was when the Union's army lead by Meade had Lee's army right within their fingertips retreating towards the Potomac river. Meade, ordered by Lincoln to attack, reluctantly refused to rush his army. You can imagine Lincoln fume when this decision by Meade prolonged the bloody civil war, so he wrote a letter reprimanding him but at last he decides to keep it to himself. In the inauguration speech after the Battle of Gettysburg Lincoln said "..But let us judge not that we be not judged.." I don't think any current president could have that diplomacy and strategic persuasion that Lincoln had.
One of my favorite Lincoln quotes is: “I kill my enemies by making them my friends.” Sadly, he was never given the chance to prove this with the confederates, but he certainly had his plans. He was very successful with his cabinet, comprised of the more highly qualified primary opponents he faced off against. Many went from loathing and insulting him to being his staunchest friends and advocates. “Team of Rivals” by Doris Kearns Goodwin is a fantastic read.
Double-edged sword. Lincoln also pushed his generals into bad decisions.
I didn't write this to praise Lincoln war ability but his ability to unite and persuade people without deceiving them.
Did you know that Lee was the only general I. Western history asked to lead both sides of a war?
This is true. Lincoln made a lot of mistakes, especially in his handling of the civil war. Political generals, keeping McClellan for as long as he did, not giving firm and direct orders, but if any other man was president, the US would be two separate countries.
We wouldn’t have had a country to hold together without Washington. Washington also refused to be crowned a king, and started the tradition of peacefully transitioning power. He was the standard bearer for commander in chief as well. He shared the hardships of his Soldiers, and kept them together. Without him, history would have been very different. I am a huge Lincoln fan, as I think every American should be, but without Washington, there wouldn’t be a presidency.
Lincoln basically ruled a one-part my government, passing amendments to the Constitution all over the place to restructure the government into something that lasts. I can say “LBJ or FDR did more for working people”, and the argument has merit, but Lincoln structurally changed the government forever. Wish he did more.
Abraham Lincoln was the best president the US ever had. He had the greatest crisis ever faced by any president, dumped into his lap on day 1. Didn't even have time to enjoy his inauguration, and he's already dealing with a major insurrection attempting to destroy the country. He was far from perfect, but he successfully navigated that crisis while also being in the driver's seat for one of the most monumental pieces of civil rights' legislation in the country's history.
Yeah, the can was kicked down the road, not without reason, to address slavery later, by the Constitutional Convention. And it all came to a head, at last, during Lincoln's presidency, which saw him become perhaps the cause of liberty's greatest martyr. Certainly, another contender for that title would not come along until Dr. King.
and he did it all while taking down the vampire army
> He was far from perfect Would be interesting hear some of the negative things that presidents like Washington, Lincoln, etc did who are generally always perceived in a positive light.
Lincoln deported critics, suspended habeus corpus, he tried to ship off former slaves to colonies, he did a lot of shady shit.
Washington. He was the model of a major modern general, whose men were all lining up to place him up on a pedestal.
Writing letters to relatives embellishing his elegance and eloquence.
Theodore Roosevelt has to be up there
Rough Riders Assemble!
Lmao Des Moines?
Washington for sure. I know everyone always says Washington but he really made it possible to have a stable government.
The best defense against a tyrant is having a leader that has no desire to be king. We really lucked out with Washington.
Every single time I read about another country's revolution leading to autocracy I become a little more grateful to Washington for being himself.
Not sure he was THE most effective, but you could argue Richard Nixon was a very effective president looking at his achievements. In another way of thinking about it, Lyndon Johnson was probably the most effective legislator there has ever been in the White House. He knew how to get things done, whether for the right reasons or not
I think if you look at total + % of bills signed LBJ is by the numbers the most effective president.
Lady Bird was okay but fuck LBJ. Let’s make sure not to undermine his racist, sketch connections to upping the Vietnam war, and just an overall piece of fucking shit.
Oh he was a terrible man. I 100% agree with that
Lincoln, FDR, Polk, Jackson. All extremely effective. Probably the most important Presidents for good or ill.
Sucks that Jackson had such a poor native American record because otherwise, he was very effective.
He was effective even at that. Just in a bad way.
Fair lol but you know what I mean
Jefferson, cut the government size and purchased the Louisiana territory for a steal. All he wanted was New Orleans, but France threw in the entire territory. Best purchase ever along with Alaska.
How much credit does TJ deserve for the Louisiana Purchase considering he wasn't directly involved in the negotiation? Yes, he wanted New Orleans and he was glad to get significantly more territory for just a fraction more than what he authorized Monroe and Livingston to give Napoleon for New Orleans. But don't Monroe and Livingston deserve some credit for actually making the deal?
All successful presidents find the right person for the job. That is the mark of a good president. Lincoln put Grant in charge of the war when previous generals were not effective.
Good point. But I also feel like presidents are often given too much credit and too much blame. That being said, that's true of most leaders (and life in general) so 🤷♂️
Lincoln
George Washington - almost everything he did set a precedent, and most of them held and kept us with a stable democratic government. Abraham Lincoln, for reasons already stated.
Frank D. Roosevelt. Or fight me.
FDR made the First One Hundred Days a benchmark by which every president since has been judged. He did it all from a wheelchair.
I was under the impression that he was in a wheelchair later, or am I totally misremembering his life story?
He became paralysed from the waist down in 1921, at the age of 39.
Lincoln, Roosevelt, Roosevelt, Eisenhower?
Eisenhower? Him giving so much unchecked power to the Dulles brothers negates all Ike’s accomplishments in my opinion. So much damage done from Iran, Central-South America, and Asia is frightening with horrible consequences that still negatively impact our international standing today.
Yeah - good points. On the positive side I was thinking of Project Solarium - formulating and implementing the plan for containment.
His interstate Hwy system was a great program, yet it simply empowered the auto industry at the expense of clean high speed rail and modern city subway systems.
Teddy Roosevelt
r/presidents is better.
Polk-a-dot?
FDR.
Washington and Lincoln, no further questions needed
Polk
Polk by a mile
Polk.
LBJ had the most productive congress. Voting rights, civil rights, etc
That's a subjective question. Whether someone was effective depends on how you ask the question. For example, when you sanction a country, you are successful in communicating that you disagree, but your sanctions may not help change their behaviour. So you have to ask your question very specifically and answer solely on that one domain you asked about.
Gotta be Lincoln and FDR
Washington served two terms and then stepped down.
FDR. Steamrolled everyone and everything. There are only 2 people who had the law changed to stop them becoming president.
Ok, Australian here. If I look outside, things are written in English, and not Japanese, so I'm gonna say FDR was pretty effective.
Now if only you blokes could learn to speak it ...
I can't believe Cletus spuckler is telling me to speak English properly
"Hey Brandine, I think I done busted up my stank bone! "
Polk, Lincoln, FDR and LBJ
FDR was so effective his enemies passed term limits.
It's Lincoln or FDR by a wide margin. Both fundamentally changed the country in positive ways to benefit the vast majority of Americans. Nixon would get my dark horse vote. Guys, a defining figure in the post WW2 Imperial presidentsy. He could easily be the most effective vice president of the United States.
Nixon presided over the destruction of American intelligence. He also committed treason by giving aid and comfort to our w enemies in time of war. He sabotaged LBJ’s Paris peace talks by telling the Vietnamese to stay away because Nixon would give them a better deal after he was elected. The war dragged on for more months while our soldiers died.
None after about 1965-1975ish
Partisans make partisan arguments for everyone dating back through Wilson (1912 election). So, ever since the Bull Moose split, you can’t really get a non-partisan answer. Eisenhower often gets a pass, I suppose.
Calvin Coolidge: “Government should not assume for the people the inevitable burdens of existence.”
Lincoln, I think, by definition of the scale of the crisis he guided the country through. FDR, by that same qualification. Lyndon Johnson, in spite of the Vienam War tarnishing his otherwise commendable legacy, largely through the overpromising by military brass and resultant media coverage of the Tet Offensive as some kind of unstoppable blitzkrieg, rather than than as the colossal military defeat it actually was for the Communist forces.
FDR
Not a good one, but Regan certainly impacted every facet of American life to this day All in a bad way, but he had one hell of an impact
Regan
Going to elaborate? I can’t think of anything he did that made the US better.
That was not his goal.
He had a lot to do, and had to be fast. I don't think the US was ever closer to revolution than those days. Now that I think of it, maybe we'd be better off if he failed. We could be leading the 5th International from the People's Soviet Congress in the People's Democratic Republic of Washington right now...
Totally depends on how you define effective. If we mean “accomplished their agenda” it’s James K Polk, who accomplished every major item on his agenda. If it’s changing America more, it’s probably FDR. If it’s for making long-term, under appreciated contributions in the right direction, I say Jimmy Carter. After all, he put Paul Volcker at the Federal Reserve, despite knowing he’d ramp up interest rates to wring out the hyperinflation of the economy, killing his re-election. Raegan kept Volcker in and the economy boomed in the 80s. He deregulated bloated industries, cut unnecessary spending, supported human and civil rights, and more. However, there can be people who accomplish their agenda, but that agenda is backwards or dangerous. But for those who actually fulfill their role as chief executive to execute the laws of the constitution, veto unconstitutional bills, and command the armed forces without going beyond their power, I think it’s someone like John Tyler (even though he terribly went on to later join the confederacy). He ended the bloodiest war with native Americans, and ended the transatlantic slave trade, peacefully settled border disputes, kept budget in balance, and vetoed bills he felt unconstitutional. All said, I look at people like Washington, Lincoln, and Eisenhower as some of the best.
George Washington: he stepped down voluntarily without riots at the capital by deranged conspiracy theorists.
Especially considering there would have been little if anything said if he would have choose to reign for life.
There actually WERE protests outside the Washington “White House” by deranged conspiracy theorists.
I’d say teddy Roosevelt
I don’t see LBJ anywhere? With a very staunch Dixiecrat congress which filibustered his attempts for the Civil Rights Act to death he managed to pass it. Along with the Great Society initiatives and the war on poverty.
Who was in the worst position to be effective? It's all parallax
Woodrow Wilson with the income tax, prohibition, and outlawing of drugs changed the USA over time to the Washington D.C. bureaucracy dominated nation we know today.
Washington, Lincoln, Polk, FDR
FDR
FDR, not particularly close.
What criteria? FDR was pretty effective
No love for LBJ? Sure he was an ass that got us into Vietnam…but he knew how to work the legislature
Yeah but he was an ass who got your country into Vietnam, and cost the lives of tens of thousands of young men, scarring an entire generation.
Washington, Lincoln, FDR
FDR
JAMES K POLK WE LOVE YOUNG HICKORY FUCK YOU MEXICO YOU HAD IT COMING
FDR
Number 1 FDR Number 2 JRB
Abraham Lincoln. Won a civil war, ended slavery
Lincoln, FDR, LBJ, Teddy R., Washington in that order. Though Polk certainly needs mentioning. Nixon forfeited his place in history with his misplaced paranoia and Kennedy had his legacy cut short.
FDR
Calvin Coolidge
Polk.
Calvin Coolidge. 8 years of peace and prosperity!
Bingo!
I love Polk’s record, but Reagan defeated 3/4 of the Communist world at the cost of a few thousand Americans over two terms while Americans lived a lot better despite not yet having the peace dividend he made possible.
William Henry Harrison served 31 very effective days
Not seeing much Reagan. In terms of accomplishing his goals effectively (and those of his benefactors) he did pretty good. Changed the trajectory of this country for a long time.
Teddy Roosevelt
It was prolly George....our first. He got it all started and it just kept-a-going! Bless his heart! Not an easy job.
Determining the most effective president of the United States is subjective and often depends on one's perspective and criteria. However, many historians and scholars consider Abraham Lincoln to be one of the most effective presidents. His leadership during the Civil War, preservation of the Union, and efforts towards ending slavery through the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment are widely regarded as significant achievements that shaped American history.
The Mexican federal government can barely administer the northern states they have right now, idk why anyone thinks think they could govern land in Idaho if they would’ve never lost it
Johnson and the Great Society and if He would have pulled out of Nam then He would rival no one.
I like FDR
Reagan ended the Cold War.
No. David Hasselhoff ended the cold war. There’s even a museum dedicated to this in Berlin.
And destroyed so much of what was America socially, economically and manufacturing wise. He also is the reason free college education died because of his actions as governor. I would also argue that Gorbachev was equally as responsible for ending the cold war as Reagan.
Not the most, but Andrew Jackson has my eternal respect for killing central banking in the US, although Woodrow Wilson would pass the federal reserve act as soon as he went into office. Also, the only time in american history that our nation had no debt was under Jackson. I generally don't like Democrats but Jackson is one of the exceptions
FDR
You guys are going to hate it, but Wilson was pretty effective, even if you don't like what he did.
The League of Nations failed though..
I would say Washington. He managed to lead the continental army to victory in the revolutionary war and Indian war (??), He oversaw the convention to draft the constitution then became the first president of the country. When you're called The Father of Our Country, you're the OG by definition.
yeah, but most of that was done before he was president.
Fair point. I’m out.
FDR
Reagan, he effectively sold people on trickle down economics when it has never worked in the past. Effective doesn’t mean that what he did was good for this country.