I read this little post over at AutoBlog about the restoration of Ronald Reagan’s 1978 Subaru Brat and it made me a little nostalgic for the Gipper. Now that was a president with style and class. So in that vain I thought that I might post up a quick list of President’s that I think have made huge differences in the direction of our country. Now being a historian, this list could go on forever, but I will limit it to seven (in no particular order) with just one big reason why I feel that way.
1. Thomas Jefferson
Louisiana Purchase.
Yes, yes he was a man of many talents and guided this country during its infancy, but one of the most important things that the third president of the United States did was help fund Napoleons quest for European dominance by buying the Louisiana Territory from France.
2. James Polk
Manifest Destiny.
Well, OK, not manifest destiny as we know and love it, but Polk negotiated the expansion of the US to the Pacific. By securing the northwest through the Oregon Territory and the Southwest through Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Gadsden Purchase following the Mexican-American War. Polk has been accused of being a warmonger in modern times because he sought a conflict with Mexico in order to expand US territory. I rather like to look at him in the light of the times. Here was this massive track of land that was already largely populated by American settlers and completely unused by the government that claimed it. Rather than attempt to purchase it at a highly inflated price, he decided to take it by force. Sometimes the best way to negotiate is at the barrel of a gun.
3. Abraham Lincoln
Dividing the Union to save the Union.
Lincoln knew that if he was elected the United States would split, but he ran anyway and won. So the union divided and Lincoln waged a war to bring it back together. It wasn’t a war about slavery; it was a war about states rights versus federal rights. Lincoln knew that if the South were allowed to keep shirking federal policy then the US would fall apart on its own sooner or later. By forcing the issue many things were brought to the fore, and though it cost tens of thousands of lives, it created a stronger nation in the end.
4. Theodore Roosevelt
Activism.
T.R. is one of my personal favorite Presidents. Maybe it’s from growing up watching The Wind and the Lion, or maybe it’s that his personality is so relatable. This is the man who revolutionized the view of the US in the world, and the Presidency.
Roosevelt was an activist president. He took personal interest in almost every aspect of his presidency. It seems that almost through will alone he turned the 20th Century into the ‘American Century’. He broke trusts that he felt were unfairly monopolizing industry, he oversaw the creation of the Panama Canal to allow for easier transit of American goods. His foreign policy of ‘Walk softly and carry a big stick’ showed the world that we, as a country, were going to be a force to be reckoned with. He sent the ‘Great White Fleet’ around the globe to highlight American naval power. He was a conversationalist in the truest sense, creating the Antiquities Act and the first National Park at Yosemite (so he would always have a place to hunt!).
5. Dwight Eisenhower
National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.
Lets face it; the nation that we live in today would be drastically different without the Interstate system. A network of high-speed roads that connects all of the major cities in the country. They can be used to move good, military equipment or facilitate mass evacuations. Though I long to travel the country on the old highway system like John Steinbeck did in Travels with Charley, the system that Eisenhower commissioned makes all of our lives easier.
6. Richard Nixon
Preserving the Union. Twice.
Bet you didn’t see this one coming, did you? Nixon may go down in history as one of greatest patriots in American history. The reason for this is that twice he gave up the presidency to preserve the Union. The first time was during the 1960 election. It was fairly clear that he had won the election in several states, especially Illinois, where vote fraud was rampant. But instead of seeking a recount and putting our political system in turmoil, he conceded.
The second time was after the Watergate scandal. Nixon got caught doing something that every President had done before and most likely has done since. So what did he do? He accepted responsibility and stepped down rather than let the scandal destroy the office. He allowed the American people to still have respect for the office of the President, even if they had lost respect for him.
7. Ronald Reagan
Ending the Cold War.
In addition to driving wicked cool vehicles on his ranch, Reagan was an accomplished internationalist. He vehemently sought the collapse of Soviet control of Easter Europe. From the beginning of his first term he embarked upon a massive campaign to restore the image and power that our military had lost after Vietnam. He knew that a massive military buildup was one of the only ways to force the Soviets to their knees. They would be obliged to match the West, and they couldn’t afford it. He worked at strengthening ties with our Allies and further encircle the Soviets with pro US states.
Additionally, through numerous treaties aimed at limiting nuclear weapons, one of the Soviets major foreign policy tools, and using a massive feign called Star Wars the Iron Curtin began to rust and finally gave way.
Now these are very quick overviews of the reasons why I like these Presidents, and yes I’m sure that the details could be filled in much more. If that’s what you want, feel free to e-mail me for the complete text.
Also, many will point out that there are some noticeable gaps in the list. The biggest is probably Franklin Roosevelt. Let me explain. I think that FDR was a great President, and certainly deserving of praise. But I also believe that in many ways the situations surrounding him formed his greatness, not so much his own policies. It took a strong man to lead the country through the Depression and the Second World War, but those were events that would have most likely happened regardless of who was holding office.
I’m sure people will disagree with this little list, oh well. Its my opinions and I hope that you at least find it interesting.
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