Who was the greatest U.S. president of all time?
353188
I'm not sure "greatness" and "improving the state of the nation" should be the same yardsticks.  I consider Lincoln the greatest man because he worked his way up from poverty, was a great writer, thought deeply about philosophy and religion instead of just accepting the easy dogma of the culture or of one denomination, overcame depression, kept a sense of humor and humility, and was a skilled politician in the best sense of the word.  I'm probably overlooking many other aspects of his greatness as a human being.  You could argue that he did the most for improving the state of the nation by leading a second revolution with a goal of real equality, not just for prosperous white males, and getting rid of slavery.\n\nFor improving the state of the nation, it's a close call with Teddy Roosevelt, though.  Roosevelt led the way in taking the country back from the Robber Barons, who had trampled the working class for over a generation.  That's an aspect of American history that isn't covered much, but it certainly is relavent to today's situation, where the president is rabid about concentrating more wealth in the hands of the top 1% while the bottom 50% controls 2.5% of the private wealth of the nation
13172
My opinion: Abe Lincoln. He helped to keep a divided nation together under some of the most adverse conditions and situations that any president has ever had to contend with- and not only on a national level but on a personal level as well. All that while having to sleep in an awkward angular position in a too-small bed, with a crazy woman by his side and Monica Lewinsky nowhere in sight! A true American hero if you ask me. :)
31040
15. James Buchanan\n23. Benjamin Harrison\n32. Franklin D. Roosevelt
673765
There are so many! I think I would have to go with George Washington.  Can you believe what he did with what others called an army of men with pitchforks? He was a good leader and because of that we were able to establish the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and he was our first President.  He is one of our founding fathers.  That would be a great paper to write on because it can be about patriotism and that's what our country needs right now.  Let us know who you go with!
71380
Probably George Washington.  He inhereted a country that was pretty much going to Hell in a handbasket and set it on the path to become what would become arguably the greatest country in the history of mankind.  I don't think George Bush, Bill Clinton or George Bush Sr. should be listed as answers here because insufficient time has really passed for their legacies (and the full consequences of their decisions) to be assessed.
441760
7.\n\nLeft-Handed U.S. Presidents\n\nJames A. Garfield (1831-1881) 20th\nHerbert Hoover (1874-1964) 31st\nHarry S. Truman (1884-1972) 33rd\nGerald Ford (1913- ) 38th\nRonald Reagan (1911 - ) 40th\nGeorge H.W. Bush (1924- ) 41st\nBill Clinton (1946- ) 42nd
658765
no, when it was all said and done he will still go down in history as one of our GREATEST PRESIDENTS. i wish presidents could have more than 2 terms because i would have voted for him again!
1085092
Toss up.  Lincoln, FDR, and Reagan for obvious reasons.  But I would also include President Bush in that list.  A man who had the courage to take on terrorism and the resolve to see it through.  He knew that 9/11 was an act of war when most of the "elite" thought we could fight the terrorists with the FBI.  I believe history will recall President Bush as a strong, determined, caring, optimistic President.  If George W. Bush had the communications abilities of his heart and courage...you would no doubt agree with me.
1184376
In my life time it has to be Jimmy Carter.  He got little respect being a humble peanut farmer but he cared for All Americans regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation more than any racist republicans has.
1176391
Without a doubt it was Walter Payton.  He was a superior human being and outstanding football player.
750397
Ronald Reagan\n\nhttp://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/presidents/firsts.htm
696686
1. George Washington, 1789-1797\n2. John Adams, 1797-1801\n3. Thomas Jefferson, 1801-1809\n4. James Madison, 1809-1817\n5. James Monroe, 1817-1825\n6. John Quincy Adams, 1825-1829\n7. Andrew Jackson, 1829-1837\n8. Martin Van Buren, 1837-1841\n9. William Henry Harrison, 1841\n10. John Tyler, 1841-1845\n11. James Knox Polk, 1845-1849\n12. Zachary Taylor, 1849-1850\n13. Millard Fillmore, 1850-1853\n14. Franklin Pierce, 1853-1857\n15. James Buchanan, 1857-1861\n16. Abraham Lincoln, 1861-1865\n17. Andrew Johnson, 1865-1869\n18. Ulysses Simpson Grant, 1869-1877\n19. Rutherford Birchard Hayes, 1877-1881\n20. James Abram Garfield, 1881\n21. Chester Alan Arthur, 1881-1885\n22. Grover Cleveland, 1885-1889\n23. Benjamin Harrison, 1889-1893\n24. Grover Cleveland, 1893-1897\n25. William McKinley, 1897-1901\n26. Theodore Roosevelt, 1901-1909\n27. William Howard Taft, 1909-1913\n28. Woodrow Wilson, 1913-1921\n29. Warren Gamaliel Harding, 1921-1923\n30. Calvin Coolidge, 1923-1929\n31. Herbert Clark Hoover, 1929-1933\n32. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933-1945\n33. Harry S. Truman, 1945-1953\n34. Dwight David Eisenhower 1953-1961\n35. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 1961-1963\n36. Lyndon Baines Johnson, 1963-1969\n37. Richard Milhous Nixon, 1969-1974\n38. Gerald Rudolph Ford, 1974-1977\n39. James Earl Carter, Jr., 1977-1981\n40. Ronald Wilson Reagan, 1981-1989\n41. George Herbert Walker Bush, 1989-1993\n42. William Jefferson Clinton, 1993-2001\n43. George Walker Bush, 2001-
426866
Washington hands down.  Without him there would be no other Americans.  He made a America what it is today with his decisions.
1114884
Yes actually he's the greatest president that the 21st century has seen to date.
175417
I'd say from least to most popular...\n\n1. George W. Bush\n2. Jimmy Carter\n3. Bill Clinton\n4. George H. W. Bush\n5. Ronald Regan\n\n2, 3, and 4 are open for moving around, but I think that 1 and 5 are pretty solid.  Before you "W" fans start singing praises about non-existent accomplishments....  NO President in my lifetime has EVER divided the country the way he has.  NO President in my lifetime has EVER had such a low approval rating.  In fact, I think no President ever has had such a low approval rating, my lifetime or not.
262116
I would have to say FDR & Winston Churchill with World War II. Harry Truman finished up with his policies towards the end of the War. Truman said America wouldn't make any profits off of War and suffering of oppressed nations from the results of World War II. FDR helped America pull it's self out of the depression with his politics, and administration of laws. Churchill followed suit in the U.K..
8325
Abraham Lincoln. Preserved the union despite the civil war and freed the slaves. He was a great thinker and orator as well.