Essay Sample on Best and Worst US Presidents

Introduction

The United States is one of the most progressive countries in the globe. For the reason that governance is a crucial issue in the determination of both economic and social development, it must be understood that the leadership of a country must be evaluated on the premise of good governance. Importantly, it should be mentioned that a country's president represents the very way in which that country will be led. In the history of the United States, there have been more than 44 presidents. There have been different lists for the ascertainment of the best and the worst presidents that the United States has had. On the one hand, there are scholars and historians who have made a list of the best and worst president. The court of public opinion has also not been left behind. Through the evaluation of the two view points, it is important to have the list discussed below.

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The best president as evaluated by scholars and historians seem to be Abraham Lincoln. The 16th president of the United States is followed by Franklin D. Roosevelt and George Washington. The three are regarded by both scholars and historians as the best presidents that the United States has had. In the court of public opinion, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton are regarded as some of the greatest United States presidents in history. The reasoning behind the best US presidents according to historians is because of statesmanship and their contribution to the economic development of the country. The evaluation of the best and worst presidents considers the very way in which certain presidents can fit under both categorizations. For instance, President Richard Nixon can be considered as one of the best presidents in matters of state functionality while he is also considered as a morally 'idiosyncratic president.'

A consideration of the best presidents in accordance to history and scholarship is based on an array of characteristics. The push and pull of the matter involve the manner in which the president is naturally endowed and how he leads the country to achieve the objectives as envisioned by the founding fathers of the country. Among the concepts that Americans and other opinion shapers consider in the ranking of presidents include the personal leadership qualities that the president has, political skills, crisis management and the accomplishments that the leader will make in the country (Nichols, 273). Personal character and integrity sum up the list of the qualities that a president has to determine if they can be ranked among the best or worst. For the presidents that have been ranked as best, there is a presence of similarities that have been observed which make their qualities appealing to the larger masses. The only differences that exist among the presidents evaluated by scholars and historians regard personal traits and character.

The list of the best presidents in America is often followed by a list of the worst presidents of the United States. At the top of the list is James Buchanan who is ranked as the worst president that the United States has ever had. Buchanan is closely followed by William Henry Harrison and Franklin Pierce. The characters that make these presidents the worst include their character traits and failure to lead a united nation to the future that had been envisioned by scholars. A noticeable trait in the three worst presidents includes their affinity to shot reigns and their dalliance with economic destruction. Understandably so, it must be pointed out that every president ranked as the worst had their failures both in the local prisms and in the international consideration of their service delivery.

Conclusion

The consideration of scholarly and historical rankings slightly differ from those of the public in that the public would not consider policy implications of certain decisions like scholars would generally do. The public can be misled into the belief that a certain president performed well on the premise of their political background and support base (Pfiffner, 23). To compile a list of the best presidents, Abraham Lincoln, J.F Kennedy and George Washington would carry he mantle for their charisma and dedication to building a reputable country. The worst presidents in the list would be Buchanan, Bill Clinton and Herbert Hoover. The three presidents were cold against the needs of the country and were only admitted to the white house to fulfil their interests.

Works Cited

Nichols, Curt. "The Presidential Ranking Game: Critical Review and Some New Discoveries". Presidential Studies Quarterly. (2012). 42 (2): 275-299.

Pfiffner, James P. "Ranking the Presidents: Continuity and Volatility" (PDF). White House Studies. (2003). 3: 23.