Ranking Every U.S. President - Part 1

Andrew Johnson was the only southern senator who remained loyal to the union during the Civil War. As a reward for his loyalty, Abraham Lincoln gave him the Vice Presidency for his second term. When President Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865, Johnson became the president during the beginning of the Reconstruction era. However, he was more sympathetic to the newly rejoined southern states than Lincoln had planned to be, and than the Republican Congress wanted him to be. This leniency towards the former Confederate states allowed organizations like the KKK and other White Supremacist organizations to run rampant in the south with little to no opposition. He was eventually impeached for his efforts to influence the War Department, but was acquitted by just 1 vote. He continued to veto Reconstruction and Civil Rights legislation for the rest of his term, cementing his legacy as one of the worst presidents in American history.

For his first three years in office, Donald Trump has a controversial president, yet he did much for the conservative cause. His signature piece of legislation cut taxes for the upper class, and one of his lasting legacies will be his judicial appointments, including three Supreme Court justices. But in 2020, that all changed. After a landmark trade deal with China, President Trump was reportedly scared to criticize the Chinese government, and this caused him to act slowly to contain the new COVID-19 pandemic. Scientists have estimated that his lack of action during a global health crisis cost over 100,000 American lives. In addition to that, his questionable health advice and decision to question the effectiveness of masks was criticized by public health officials. 

After he lost the 2020 election, he promoted false claims of widespread voter fraud, which 1 in 3 American still believe to this day. And on January 6th, he incited a mob that would eventually breach the Capitol building, which resulted in the deaths of 5 people, and injured hundreds of law enforcement officers.

Less than a year into his presidency, Herbert Hoover was confronted with the worst economic crisis in American history. In October 1929, the Stock Market crashed, throwing the country into the Great Depression. Unemployment skyrocketed, nearly half of the banks in the country closed, and people couldn't access their savings. However, Hoover believed strongly in non-intervention in the economy, despite the gravity of the situation. He took limited action compared to what his successor would do. Additionally, he continued to support Prohibition, despite it's increasing unpopularity due to

In 1862, when John Tyler died, he would become the first and only president not to be buried under the Star-Spangled Banner. As a Virginian, he had become a proponent of secession, and was even elected to the Confederate Congress. While this won't effect his ranking, it's helpful when understanding his position on slavery. He was perhaps the most pro-slavery president in history, promoting the "State's Rights" philosophy. He also supporting the expansion of slavery, primarily through the annexation of Texas (which he did not achieve).

The term 'Bleeding Kansas' refers to the violence that unfolded after the Kansas Nebraska Act established the two territories. Despite the Missouri Compromise banning slavery above the southernmost border of Missouri, the Kansas Nebraska Act was passed on 'Popular-Sovereignty' wherein the citizens of the state (or territory) decide whether slavery is legal or not. To sway the vote in their favor, pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers flowed into the Kansas territory, and would begin to violently clash with each other, killing hundreds. As he did throughout his presidency, Franklin Pierce would take advice from southern pro-slavery Democrats more than anyone else, which would lead him to favor many divisive measures, pushing the nation further towards Civil War.

Zachary Taylor was famously a non-political person. Before assuming the presidency, he had never even voted before! He had been in the military for decades, and was a war hero during the Mexican-American War. Despite this, he was nominated by the Whig party for the election of 1848. Taylor wasn't enthusiastic about his new role as president however. He would die about one year later, but he managed to make a lot of people angry. He was adamant about his opposition to the expansion of slavery, and took efforts to undo parts of the Missouri Compromise, further diving the nation, and pushing it closer to the brink of Civil War.

Richard Nixon was willing to do most anything to achieve victory. This started even before he became president. When running for the office in 1968, one of his biggest advantage over Democratic challenger Hubert Humphrey was the ongoing Vietnam War. But as election day fast approached, there was a major breakthrough in peace negotiations. Despite this, a senior member of the U.S. delegation offered to sabotage the negotiations so Humphrey wouldn't receive a last second boost in the polls. Nixon accepted this offer. But this wasn't the end of his shenanigans. He would later be implicated in the Watergate Scandal, where operatives working for his campaign broke into Democratic Party headquarters. While Nixon did do many positive things as president, most notably his policy of Detente, which thawed relations with the Soviet Union and China, the Watergate scandal shall forever taint his legacy.

In terms of social issues, he relied on the support of the party establishment, which was largely dominated by Southerners. He strongly opposed Civil Rights legislation, going as far as to assure former Confederates that the Cleveland Administration wouldn't "intervene" in state affairs.

Andrew Jackson took place in exactly 103 duels, even killing a man in 1806. When a general in the War of 1812, he treated both the local populace and his own man in an atrocious manner, having many executed for seemingly bogus charges. This contempt for human life would continue to the presidency, where he would heavily advocate for and eventually sign the Indian Removal Act which forcibly removed 15,000 Native Americans from their land, relocating them west of the Mississippi River. Around 4,000 died along the way in the Trail of Tears.

Jackson did advocate for many policies of the Democratic party however, taking action to eliminate the National Bank, acting against abolition, but also increasing tariffs, angering many of his southern supporters. Perhaps Jackson can best be explained in this short story. One day during his presidency, a man approached him a pulled a pistol on the President. Thankfully it misfired. Instead of retreating or calling for help, Jackson began striking the man with his cane. As the man pulled a second pistol (it also misfired), rather than shield himself or run away, Andrew Jackson continued to beat his would be assassin with his cane.

Millard Fillmore is often regarded in a poor fashion by historians, but this is due in a significant part to controversies after Fillmore left office. His support for Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction's policies and his candidacy and affiliation with the Know-Nothing Party, a radical nativist group.

While in office however, he is best known for his role in shaping the Compromise of 1850, which included provisions such as the Fugitive Slave Act. This is widely seen to have just kicked the can down the road on the issue of slavery. Not to mention, the compromise was adamantly opposed by Zachary Taylor, who Fillmore succeeded after his death. On a more positive note, he is also remembered for opening relations with Japan, including beginning trade after centuries of Japanese isolationism.

In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, George W. Bush famously said on ground zero "I can hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!" Following through on this promise, Bush would announce the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, to hunt down terrorist leaders and dismantle the Taliban. 2 years later, Bush announced the invasion of Iraq, claiming their were WMDs there. Famously, he was wrong, and around 4,500 American soldiers would die in the war. In addition to this debacle, Bush's response to the Great Recession was widely criticized.

Despite these shortcomings, Bush still managed to be a standard-bearer for Conservative causes, slashing taxes, repealing the Assault weapons ban, and attempting to privatize Social Security among other things.

Woodrow Wilson was one of the most progressive presidents in American history, establishing the income tax, creating the Federal Reserve, and much more. Because he was a standard-bearing for his cause, he receives good marks in that area. However, Wilson's actions regarding American involvement in WWI were similar to the appeasement tactics of the Chamberlain. He sacrificed American shipping rights to avoid attacks by German U-boats. While he campaigned on peace, he would flip-flop essentially overnight and become the most avid supporter of war.

Finally, roughly a year and-a-half before his presidency ended, Wilson suffered a severe stroke, partially blinding him and significantly reducing his ability to govern. Rather than admit this or even step aside, Wilson instructed his to hide this from the press at all costs, putting his image above the well-being of the nation.