Preview

United States Presidents: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
743 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
United States Presidents: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly
United States Presidents: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
President James Polk once said, "With me it is exceptionally true that the Presidency is no bed of roses." And it is definitely true that the being the most powerful man on earth cannot be an easy task. Forty- three men have taken on the challenge of filling these shoes and to be forever considered for their accomplishments. In this line of powerful men, some are remembered for their ability to overcome adversity and leave a legacy of prestige and success while others have failed in their attempts to lead the country successfully. In almost every poll, James Buchanan ranks as one of the three worst presidents in United States history while Franklin D. Roosevelt lands in the top three on the roster of great presidents.
Although almost no president was as well trained and well prepared for the office as James Buchanan. James Buchanan has been noted as the worst president in the history of the United States. He had served in the Pennsylvania state legislature, the U.S. House, and the U.S. Senate; he was Secretary of State and was even offered a seat on the Supreme Court before running for the Presidency. Despite all of his credentials, Buchanan 's indecisive ways and confused demeanor may have made the Civil War inevitable. Instead of taking a solid stand on the issue of slavery, Buchanan chose to try to appease both sides by deeming succession of the south illegal. He also said it was illegal to use military intervention to prevent the breaking up of the Union. It has been said that James Buchanan affected the Supreme Court 's decision in the Dred Scott Case. The Supreme Court ruled that slaves could never be United States citizens not could the Federal Government regulate slavery in the territories. In stark contrast to Buchanan 's weak and disgraceful stint in the presidency, Franklin D. Roosevelt shines among the other forty-two presidents because of his ability to lead, guide, and direct our country



Cited: "Biography of James Buchanan." The White House. The White House. 02 Apr. 2007 . "Dred Scott Case." Wikipedia. 02 Apr. 2007. Wikipedia. 04 Apr. 2007 . "Franklin D. Roosevelt." Wikipedia. 03 Apr. 2007. Wikipedia. 04 Apr. 2007 . "James Buchanan." Wikipedia. 02 Apr. 2007. Wikipedia. 04 Apr. 2007 . "Presidential Rankings." Infoplease. 2006. Pearson Education. 05 Apr. 2007 .

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Ford did not last long in office, having only been there for around two years after Nixon had resigned. He was known as one of the most useless presidents in the White House and had gotten to office without ever campaigning for either of the two top executive offices. The man wasn’t given much time to implement any solid bills in that short period of time, but he did do a few semi-notable actions that put him in history as more than the president who did nothing.…

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The office of president today is very different from that envisaged by the framers of the constitution in 1787- the circumstances that have given rise to modern presidential power could not have been foreseen. However some argue that the office of president is one of inherent weakness rather than strength, and that the powers of the president were no guarantee that power could actually be exercised. In his view, presidential leadership was possible only when there were extraordinary crisis conditions such as depression or war. F.D. Roosevelt is often given as an example of such a president.…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Many Presidents over the years have shown greatness through their leadership. Each has shown this in their individual way. One of them was Lyndon B. Johnson who showed presidential greatness through passing ground breaking legislation and improving society. Lyndon Johnson took office after John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.…

    • 198 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Unable to secure support in Congress Buchanan found his administration paralyzed. This was compounded by Lincoln's refusal to agree to any policy before actually becoming president. Buchanan did support efforts to conciliate the two sides, but when these failed, so did the Union. Many Northerners blamed Buchanan for the failing of the Union and the ensuing Civil War. Buchanan asserted that states did not have the right to secede; He also believed he had no power to stop…

    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Even though Franklin Pierce is considered one of the worst presidents of all time, he enjoyed a dazzling political career, with most of his better moments coming before his time as president. His abilities were shown at a young age when he entered Bowdoin College at age 15 and began to hone his public speaking skills. A large reason for Pierce’s natural ability was his father, Benjamin Pierce, who was a commander in the colonial revolution. Benjamin was also very involved in local politics and this is where young Franklin picked up the system and how things worked very quickly. Two years after his father was elected as a governor, Pierce was voted to the state legislature of New Hampshire.…

    • 1185 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    James Buchanan was a very polemical president during office. James Buchanan was born in Pennsylvania and was the fifteenth president of the United States of America. He was very successful in school during his life. James Buchanan was elected president during a very difficult time in the U.S because of the separation of the democratic party and right before the Civil War, which is one of the reasons James Buchanan was considered one of the worst presidents in the U.S. Even though he tried to keep peace between the north and the south. Also James Buchanan was involved in many treaties like the Oregon Treaty. Buchanan occupied many jobs throughout his political career.…

    • 617 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As the oldest president inaugurated during his time and the first to die in office just within 31 days, President William Henry Harrison is ranked with a 2. He delivered a two hour long inaugural address, the longest on record, but passed away from pneumonia because of his imperviousness. He was only elected because of his political popularity that derived from him being a "war hero", which at that point in American history generally meant killing Native Americans, a feat Harrison managed somehow at the battle of Moraviantown, during the War of 1812, which itself was one of the stupidest wars fought by two nations. That is why President William Henry Harrison if not is the worst president in U.S. history.…

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Grover Cleveland is one of the greatest presidents, because he represents the most honest president. This honesty is so apparent that biographers are still talking about it years after his death. For example Allan Nevins said about Grover Cleveland a century later, “His honesty was of the undeviating type which never compromised an inch.”2 Another biographer said that, “Some presidents never met a principle they wouldn’t abandon for electoral gain. Cleveland, principled to the bone, was of a different breed.”3 Today’s people…

    • 1295 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Effective presidents are those who must have certain traits in order to lead our country in the best way possible. These things would include being the best in economic, foreign and domestic affairs, chief executive, and commander in chief. Some of the presidents in our history have demonstrated these traits. These presidents are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln.…

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    his power that came with being the head of the executive branch and used illegal audio surveillance to spy on political opponents. He also ordered various agencies to harass activities and political figures. What keeps him from being the worst President is that his first term was filled with good policy choices. He visited the People's Republic of China and opened up diplomatic relationships between the two nations. His administration embraced policies that transferred powers from the federal government to the states, and many other things. What hurt him the most was his second term that was nothing compared to the first and was considered a trainwreck and a…

    • 110 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Our nation has been blessed by many outstanding presidents that have changed the future of the United States, but every year the vote to the greatest president goes to either George Washington, Abraham Lincoln ,or Thomas Jefferson. These men have taken on the responsibilty of watching out for a big nation that has many scenarios to tend to. Each president has assured their citizens basic freedoms and saftey that makes our nation one of the greatest. ALthough, there are many prize worthy presidents, George Washington surpasses them all. George Washington is the "Father of our Nation" and has set the bar high for many presidents in the past and the rest to come. George Washington reigns as our greatest president and continues to be commorated…

    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Link to or copy and paste the following on your web browser so you can watch the following video on "The Nature of A President."…

    • 305 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    James K. Polk is low-key one of the better presidents we've had. He set a clear plan for annexing the territory between present day Mexico and the U.S. and he also settled the Oregon boundary dispute with Britain. Andre 3000 is still one of Hip-Hop's most underrated artists of all-time, and many of that is based on the fact that he's never released a full solo project. Similarly, Polk is underrated throughout history because he only served one term (he didn't want to serve two, and died less than a year after leaving office). But both are arguably in the top 10 of their own…

    • 1133 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the past years we have had the total of 44 presidents. Some have been ok or good presidents. But we have also had are share fair of worst or bad presidents. All though I can sit hear and write about all of them and tell you what I think of each and single one, I’m not going to do that. What I will do is am going to talk to you about the two presidents that I think is the absolute worst and the absolute best. Ok ok maybe no the absolute but the ones that I think should be and that deserve those titles. For best president I would definitely nominate Bill Clinton. And for worst president I nominate George W. Bush. So now I will tell you why I nominate them and why I think that they deserve that title.…

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    When looking at the presidents of America's history and trying to pick the best one, it is important to look at individual traits that make a good president. Each and every American president is looked at differently by people. Some presidents were loved by many people and barely accomplished anything in office. Others made fantastic decisions and or improved our economy, but were overlooked. Presidents should be good with all people not like Donald Trump, he is so racist with blacks and Mexicans.…

    • 496 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays