The United States of America is a nation that is 240 years old and has 44 presidents. The position of president is one of the highest a person can achieve in government, as the sole head of the large executive branch. Presidents are also the face of the nation, subject to extreme praise and criticism. Inevitably, some of these 44 men ages 35-69 have been better than others. Therefore, the question arises, what makes a good president? I believe that the best way to tell if a president was one of the best is objectively, because disagreements about certain policy and ideology should not be in the way of determining if they did a good job. The criteria for being one of the top 5 presidents is fairly easy to make, because most presidents are
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He was a very interesting man in many aspects, and a great president according to these criteria I have set up. Although not president during a war, Roosevelt was in the Spanish-American war as a “Rough Rider.” He helped America win the war and ushered a new era of western-hemisphere independence that he would later add to. Theodore Roosevelt was a major figure in the expansion of the presidency, and believed “that the President had the right to use all powers except those that were specifically denied him to accomplish his goals”(9). He also was the first president to make conservation a main issue, which has now forever been something presidents must consider. In terms of domestic policy, Roosevelt had one main issue, and that was that “government should use its resources to help achieve economic and social justice”(10). He was known as the “Trust Buster” for breaking up trusts that were threatening the economy and the working class. The passage of the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Hepburn Act made monopolies an enemy of the nation, and Roosevelt made sure that the people knew this too. One cannot overlook Roosevelt’s conservation policy as one of Roosevelt’s most important domestic policies, because it opened up a whole new area of issue in the presidency. Conservation has opened up many government organizations such as the EPA and the Department of the Interior. Lastly, Roosevelt’s foreign policy can have its own essay because he did so much. Instead of naming specific examples, it would be easier to give the general ideology of Roosevelt’s foreign policy. Most of it revolved around America becoming a more prominent figure on the world stage, under the motto “speak softly and carry a big stick.” Roosevelt affected much of Latin America with his Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, a decision that still affects America today. Basically, the corollary added to the “stay
He was a very interesting man in many aspects, and a great president according to these criteria I have set up. Although not president during a war, Roosevelt was in the Spanish-American war as a “Rough Rider.” He helped America win the war and ushered a new era of western-hemisphere independence that he would later add to. Theodore Roosevelt was a major figure in the expansion of the presidency, and believed “that the President had the right to use all powers except those that were specifically denied him to accomplish his goals”(9). He also was the first president to make conservation a main issue, which has now forever been something presidents must consider. In terms of domestic policy, Roosevelt had one main issue, and that was that “government should use its resources to help achieve economic and social justice”(10). He was known as the “Trust Buster” for breaking up trusts that were threatening the economy and the working class. The passage of the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Hepburn Act made monopolies an enemy of the nation, and Roosevelt made sure that the people knew this too. One cannot overlook Roosevelt’s conservation policy as one of Roosevelt’s most important domestic policies, because it opened up a whole new area of issue in the presidency. Conservation has opened up many government organizations such as the EPA and the Department of the Interior. Lastly, Roosevelt’s foreign policy can have its own essay because he did so much. Instead of naming specific examples, it would be easier to give the general ideology of Roosevelt’s foreign policy. Most of it revolved around America becoming a more prominent figure on the world stage, under the motto “speak softly and carry a big stick.” Roosevelt affected much of Latin America with his Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, a decision that still affects America today. Basically, the corollary added to the “stay