In Table 7.1, the authors provide a list of the 10 greatest Presidents of all time, according to two separate polls by historians (in 2005 and 2009). What criteria, or methodology, do you feel should be used when making this type of assessment?
In order to identify the greatest Presidents of all time, this should be based on their overall presidency, the state of the country at the time they were in the seat and how they effected change for the good of the United States. Wikipedia describes the historical rankings of Presidents of the United States as surveys conducted in order to construct rankings of the success of individuals who have served as President of the United States. Ranking systems are usually based on surveys of academic historians and political scientists or popular opinion. The rankings focus on the presidential achievements, leadership qualities, failures, and faults.Franklin D. Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington are consistently ranked at the top of the lists. (Wikipedia, 2016)
A President is elected on their potential to lead the country, they are selected by voters and the Electoral College. “The presidency for good or ill plays a vital role in the life of the country. The president’s performance is often a measure by which we all judge the performance of our country. A president who succeeds makes us feel that the nation can succeed, and it is also through the president’s performance that we understand America’s role in the world and America’s hopes and aspirations for itself.” (Rove, 2003) A leader to me, is someone who is intelligent, strong and steadfast, not a person that believes in “do what I say, but not as I do.” You have probably heard the old saying that “anybody can grow up to be President.” But, not everybody is cut out to be President. It takes a special kind of person, someone tough, smart, and driven, just to run for the job. It takes still more talent and character to hold up under the pressures of life in the White House. (Price, 2016)
The poll, in my opinion, should be done two ways, one strictly by facts (what was the state of the economy, what bills or laws were passed) and one strictly by opinions (was the President likable, did you share common beliefs with them). This should be assessed throughout the Country and not limited to certain individuals. The opinion based survey would be more challenging based on the age of the person taking the survey, they may have only been alive for two or three of the Presidents that we have had. After the surveys are completed these should be compared to the Historians and the Political Scientists to evaluate the comparison and the difference between the findings. I think it would be interesting to see if Franklin D. Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington would hold the top three positions or if the strictly opinion based poll would identify a change in the top three and top ten Presidents.