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These are the best presidents in American history, ranked by their lasting contributions to the country.
Ranking the top 10 US presidents by lasting impact, highlighting their key achievements and challenges.
Key Takeaways
- Presidential legacies are shaped by both domestic policies and foreign affairs.
- Civil rights and social welfare programs have been pivotal in shaping modern America.
- Military leadership and conflict management significantly influence presidential rankings.
- Territorial expansion and economic development were key achievements of early presidents.
- Controversies such as war escalation or slavery ownership affect historical reputations.
Summary
- Abraham Lincoln is ranked the greatest president for preserving the Union and ending slavery during the Civil War.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt is second for leading the US through the Great Depression and WWII with the New Deal and Allied victory.
- George Washington is third for establishing foundational leadership and keeping the young nation neutral in European conflicts.
- Theodore Roosevelt expanded national parks, consumer protections, and military strength while promoting conservation.
- Thomas Jefferson doubled US territory with the Louisiana Purchase but had a complex legacy due to slave ownership.
- Woodrow Wilson led the US in WWI and proposed the League of Nations, though the US did not join it.
- Dwight Eisenhower advanced infrastructure, science, civil rights, and managed Cold War military strategy.
- Lyndon Johnson passed major civil rights laws and social programs but his Vietnam War escalation hurt his legacy.
- James Polk fulfilled Manifest Destiny by expanding US territory through war and diplomacy.
- John F. Kennedy inspired with the Cuban Missile Crisis resolution and domestic programs like Medicare.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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The tenth best president was John F. Kennedy, an inspiring leader whose key foreign policy accomplishment was confronting the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, Europe, and most notably, Latin America, by forcing the Soviet Union to remove their nuclear weapons
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from Cuba during the tense 13-day missile crisis in 1962. At home, he promoted the ambitious "New Frontier" domestic program, promising federal funding for education and aid programs for rural America. This also included pushing for Medicare, which today is one of the most popular government programs providing healthcare for America’s
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seniors. It was passed by Congress and signed into law three years after JFK was assassinated in Dallas, ending his presidency after just three years in office.
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Although James Polk died from cholera three months after he left office after serving only one term, he got a lot done. He believed in Manifest Destiny, that American settlers were destined to move westward, and negotiated possession of the Oregon Territory from the British and
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purchased New Mexico and California from Mexico after defeating them in the Mexican-American War. He restored an independent treasury and was able to enact much of the Democratic policy agenda.
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Lyndon Johnson grabs the eighth spot on this list for being the last president to pass a massive domestic policy agenda that favored the people. Many of these achievements were part of his “Great Society” and are still cornerstones of modern America. As president,
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LBJ was responsible for signing the Civil and Voting Rights Acts; declaring a war on poverty; implementing gun control; setting up public broadcasting; enacting Medicare and Medicaid; appointing Thurgood Marshall as the first African American justice on the Supreme Court; signing an education bill that significantly improved funding to schools;
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establishing the National Endowments for the Humanities and Arts; protecting 9.1 million acres of federal land; signing, developing, and enforcing the Clean Air Act; and passing comprehensive immigration reform for non-Europeans. Unfortunately, Johnson’s standing takes a hit over the Vietnam War, in which he dramatically escalated American involvement from 16,000
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to 550,000 combat troops. He did not seek a second term. Under President Dwight Eisenhower, the United States became the world’s richest country and our final two states, Alaska and Hawaii, were admitted to the union.
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At home, Eisenhower launched the Interstate Highway System, created NASA along with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which has developed a slew of important technologies, and established strong science education. He was a solid supporter of civil rights and
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signed the first major civil rights legislation in over 75 years, since 1875. Abroad, Eisenhower used nuclear threats to conclude the Korean War with China and prioritized inexpensive nuclear weapons and a reduction of conventional military forces as a strategy
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for keeping pressure on the Soviet Union and reducing the federal deficit. Number six is Woodrow Wilson, who led America into WWI, the decisive moment that turned the conflict in the Allies’ favor. After commanding the Allied victory, he sponsored
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the League of Nations - an early UN. Unfortunately, despite Wilson’s strong support, the US Senate voted not to join the league, a consequential moment that definitely made the body weaker than it should have been and was partially the reason why the Nazi party was able to
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rise to power in Germany. Thomas Jefferson - the founding father who wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence - became America’s third president in 1801 after serving as Adams’ vice president and the first US Secretary of State under George Washington. He brilliantly doubled
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the size of the United States by reaching a deal with Napoleon Bonaparte to purchase the Louisiana Territory from France for just $15 million dollars. This area encompassed what eventually became all or part of 15 different states. Though he signed a bill in 1807 banning
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slave importation into the country, his legacy has been tainted by the fact that he owned slaves.
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42-year-old Vice President Theodore Roosevelt, taking over after William McKinley was assassinated, was the youngest man to become president. A true progressive, he was the first president to call for environmental conservation and greatly expanded the national parks system.
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His Square Deal also focused on an expansion of consumer protection laws and greater control of corporations. A man of his word, he dissolved 44 monopolistic businesses during his presidency.
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Teddy’s “speak softly and carry a big stick” policy built up America’s navy, keeping the country militarily strong, but out of wars. After helping Panama win independence, he negotiated US control of the construction of the Panama Canal there. Roosevelt won the
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Nobel Peace Prize for ending the first great war of the 20th century between the empires of Russia and Japan.
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George Washington, the first president of the United States, comes in third. His strength as the executive after leading the country to victory in the Revolutionary War cemented his status as the “father of the country.” He kept America out of wars between European
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powers so that America could mature from its infancy, and his leadership style established many customs that are still in place today, like using a cabinet system to delegate responsibilities and delivering an inaugural address.
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt’s fifth cousin, is the second-greatest president of all time. FDR was elected president an unprecedented four times and served for 12 years until his death. He took office at the depths of the Great Depression and in his
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first 100 days in office, aggressively implemented the New Deal programs, and the economy improved rapidly. He successfully led the United States and the Allies - along with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin - defeating Hitler and the Axis powers in World War II.
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The greatest president of all time is Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was the glue that held the country together as it unshackled itself from what was always going to be the biggest threat to the continuity of the nation: ending the practice of slavery--a challenge so daunting
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the founding fathers had to leave it for later generations to solve. Assassinated five days after General Lee’s surrender, Lincoln paid the ultimate price for leading the victorious Union through America’s bloodiest conflict. His victory in the Civil War strengthened
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the federal government, modernized the economy, and set the nation on the prosperous path we are still walking today, nearly 150 years later.
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Thanks for watching. Let me know who you think was the best president of all time in a comment below. If you enjoyed this video, you’ll love our website, TDCvideo.com, where we bring you our favorite stories from around the world each day. Until tomorrow, for the daily conversation,
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I’m Bryce Plank.
Topics:US presidentsAmerican historyAbraham LincolnFranklin D RooseveltGeorge WashingtonTheodore RooseveltJohn F KennedyLyndon JohnsonDwight EisenhowerWoodrow Wilson
