Abraham Lincoln: The Best American President

Dodong · Feb 16, 2009

Still, people believe Abraham Lincoln was and is America's best president ever..

Just days after the nation honored the 200th anniversary of his birth, 65 historians ranked Abraham Lincoln as the nation's best president. Former President George W. Bush, who left office last month, was ranked 36th out of the 42 men who had been chief executive by the end of 2008, according to a survey conducted by the cable channel C-SPAN. - yahoo news

pingpong12 · Feb 16, 2009

Sorry but good ole abe wasnt the best ever. He was a good president though because he wanted to preserve the union . He really didnt care about the slaves and even wrote a letter saying if he could he would ship them all back to Africa.
The best president (if there was one) was JFK because he dared to stand against war, even though it cost him dearly for his stance.

The Parakeet · Feb 16, 2009

And PingPong earns the award for fastest derail of a thread. There's a JFK thread in the conspiracy theory forum that's waiting for real evidence.

As to Dodong's question, I think Abe was probably one of the best we've had. He lead the country well, he managed the most diverse cabinet ever assembled, and he held us together through a civil war. It's pretty hard to top that. Also, while he wasn't an outspoken abolitionist, he was very progressive for the time. You can't really judge him against our moral values (same goes for suspending habias corpus and a few of the other unpleasantries he had to do to prevent further secessions).

George Washington has a lot of my respect though. If nothing else, it was all the things he didn't do. He could have basically made himself an emperor for life if he wanted. Instead, he just lead a strong, yet reserved, government and stepped down after two terms.

Jefferson was admirable too. He ignored his love of small government when strong government action was beneficial to the country (Louisiana Purchase for example).

Damocles · Feb 16, 2009

There is much that Lincoln did that was not so very awesome. For instance, he attempted to deny habeas corpus without congressional authority. He jailed reporters that spoke against any of his policies and other suspect activities that were unconstitutional.

That being said, before the Civil War it was "The United States are", today because of his action to build one nation from many it is "The United States is" when we speak of the US' activities.

Jefferson is my favorite, but he also did some things that were suspect when considering the constitution.

The Parakeet · Feb 16, 2009

I think you have to give Lincoln a little bit of a gimme on that one though. His heavy handed treatment is usually what's credited to keeping Maryland in the Union. The idea of peaceful opposition wasn't as founded at the time either (Just look at the Alien and Sedition Acts). There was genuine fear that they were trying to incite a rebellion (and some were).

myp · Feb 16, 2009

I am not sure who I would classify as our best president.Thomas Jefferson would have been my favorite if only he had practiced what he preached. Instead, he signed one of the worst embargos in our history that crippled the economy. He also oversteped his boundaries with the Louisiana purchase, but no one will deny that was a great move and that situation is not something modern president's would face due to better communication systems. I am a strong follower of Jefferson's principles because they are very conducive to freedom and government by the people- he basically believed in exactly what this country is all about, but sadly he didn't follow those principles when he was in the White House.

I wouldn't put Lincoln at the top though because I think he should have tried to approach other solutions to the slavery and secession problem than just flatout civil war. I would've liked to see more diplomacy, so that perhaps we wouldn't have lost so many American lives.

Dodong · Feb 16, 2009

Snapshot of the American Civil War:

The American Civil War (1861–1865), also known by several other names, was a civil war between the United States of America (the "Union") and the Southern slave states of the newly formed Confederate States of America under Jefferson Davis. The Union included all of the free states and the five slaveholding border states and was led by Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party. Republicans opposed the expansion of slavery into territories owned by the United States, and their victory in the presidential election of 1860 resulted in seven Southern states declaring their secession from the Union even before Lincoln took office. The Union rejected secession, regarding it as rebellion.

Glee · Mar 9, 2009

I think every President has had their shinning moments. Well not all of them, Harrison's crowning achievement was to give a speech to die for. But majority everyone brought something good to the table. But I find it fascinating that the most popular Presidents are wartime ones. I guess that's because a crisis has an ability to bring out our true colors. War can show the character of a man.

I, like everyone else, love Abraham Lincoln. Like Washington, he had to deal with a situation that no other had to before. Washington had to build a nation. Lincoln had to bring it together. I often wonder what Lincoln would have done if he wasn't a wartime President. He was always an abolitionist, but would he have been the one to actually act on it during peace time? Somehow I think he would have.

But those are just my views on the matter.

IVotedPaul · Mar 17, 2009

I do not believe that Abe said he would ship the slaves back to Africa. He was actually quoted as saying that he didn't care for the abolishment either way, from where I've seen it. (can provide link later if others would appreciat seeing it)

And actually, Lincoln was of the best in my opinion. One of his greatest acheivements ever was fighting off the rich foreign bankers that had already taken power over Britain and some of Europe, etc.

Sure, it sounds evil that he was NOT out to abolish slavery, but he did acknowledge that the money coming in from it was needed. He simply decided that it was NOT his position to take sides on the issue. That might make him evil, or it might not.

However, the initial intent of America was keeping it within the power of the people, instead of letting a HUGE federal government grow large and powerful enough to take control of us... You can see how well that turned out for us..

McSwift · Mar 18, 2009

Abraham Lincoln was a good president due to the way he was able to keep the country together, but he is not the best. That honor goes to the great Ronald Reagan who's principles led to the most prosperous period in this nation's history. Too bad the Obama administration is completely ignoring the ideas of Reagan and in turn destroying the country with socialism...

The Parakeet · Mar 18, 2009

It also led to a horrendous debt that's cost us hundreds of billions of dollars in interest.

Sparks · Mar 31, 2009

Best for whom?

I would be hard pressed to call Lincoln the best. Oh, he was a great president and a thoughtful man, but he made many mistakes, suspended the constitution, and ignored the imposition of European sovereignty in Mexico.

I would have to cast my vote for Washington, who set many of the great precedents and led by example, having suppressed a military coup before he resigned his commission, then when elected President, he fulfilled his obligations with distinction.

I might admire Lincoln for holding the Union together, even though it might not have been the best course for the country. One can only imagine if the South had been allowed to separate and they dealt with the lingering problems of a slave and post-slavery society. Just a thought.

David · Jul 26, 2009

Best? I'd say he was 1 of the worse. He had the entirety of Maryland's gov't arrested w/o charge, he ordered total war resulting in massive civilian deaths and heavy infrastructural damage in the South (mainly Georgia), he advocated aggressive expansion in the name of empire, he called for all blacks to be sent to Africa (a driving force behind his imperial ambitions) and completely disregarded the Constitution.

To sum up my feelings of the man, I'll actually quote him, "To save the Union, I have destroyed the Republic."

Also, I could frankly care less about this little fun fact but I'd like to point out to all the Right-Wingers here that he was a socialist (unlike Obama). You'd be surprised how many socialistic quotes by him, if left unmarked, I've seen attributed to Karl Marx.

DodgeFB · Jul 27, 2009

IVotedPaul said:
I do not believe that Abe said he would ship the slaves back to Africa. He was actually quoted as saying that he didn't care for the abolishment either way, from where I've seen it. (can provide link later if others would appreciat seeing it)

And actually, Lincoln was of the best in my opinion. One of his greatest acheivements ever was fighting off the rich foreign bankers that had already taken power over Britain and some of Europe, etc.

Sure, it sounds evil that he was NOT out to abolish slavery, but he did acknowledge that the money coming in from it was needed. He simply decided that it was NOT his position to take sides on the issue. That might make him evil, or it might not.

However, the initial intent of America was keeping it within the power of the people, instead of letting a HUGE federal government grow large and powerful enough to take control of us... You can see how well that turned out for us..

An older black friend of mine whose grandfather was a slave until the age of 16 told me a little story. His grandfather told him that Lincoln caused many slaves to be killed or run off the land with nothing. Lincoln gave the slave owners a deadline to have all slaves gone by a certain time. Then he sent soldiers around checking to make sure they were gone. They had nowhere to go. They had nothing and all they knew was where they were. So thousands of former slaves were left standing in the road not knowing where to go. No food no shelter, just "free".

porsteamboy · Jul 30, 2009

I thought he looked cool in a stove pipe hat!

DodgeFB · Jul 30, 2009

porsteamboy said:
I thought he looked cool in a stove pipe hat!

Yes he did.

If I tried to wear one I would be knocking it off or something every time I moved.

deanhills · Jul 30, 2009

I still can't get why Lincoln is regarded as one of the greatest Presidents. To me he had to appearance of being obstinate, narrow-minded, dictatorial. The kind of President I really liked was Teddie Roosevelt around the turn of the century. He truly loved his job, had charisma of the motivating kind, and was just about as fearless as they come.

DodgeFB · Jul 30, 2009

deanhills said:
I still can't get why Lincoln is regarded as one of the greatest Presidents. To me he had to appearance of being obstinate, narrow-minded, dictatorial. The kind of President I really liked was Teddie Roosevelt around the turn of the century. He truly loved his job, had charisma of the motivating kind, and was just about as fearless as they come.

My favorite in my life time was Ike. He made it from private to president.

David · Jul 30, 2009

DodgeFB said:
My favorite in my life time was Ike. He made it from private to president.

Ah, the General President. Ironically he was 1 of the most passive presidents in our history. If any president was more anti-military industrial complex, I've never heard of them.

porsteamboy · Aug 1, 2009

DodgeFB said:
My favorite in my life time was Ike. He made it from private to president.

When was Ike a private? He was a graduate of West Point in 1915. He spent most of his time as President on the golf course and he sucked at that too!

Abraham Lincoln: The Best American President

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