Underrated Presidents (war, greatest, influence, Mexican)

[markg91359]

I thought I would start this thread about American Presidents.

Everyone pretty much agrees that the top Presidents in our nation's history were Lincoln, Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Truman. Who are we overlooking though? Alot of men with enormous talent have sat in the Oval Office (or whatever office was there before that).

Here's a President that I think is very overlooked: James K. Polk.

Polk who was from Tennessee was elected in 1844. He ultimately only served one term in office because he was in poor health by 1848. However, his administration is noteworthy because of the Mexican War of 1846-1847 which was ended by the Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo. The Mexican War added huge territory to the USA including what later would become California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado to the union. This set us down the path for future settlement and economic development. The Louisiana Purchase was a "great land grab too". However, the Mexican Cession was the biggest one of all.

Polk did much to instigate the war with Mexico, purposefully deploying American soldiers between the Nueces and Rio Grande Rivers in Texas. Polk likely anticipated Mexican soldiers would attack the troops and this would serve as a pretext for the Mexican War. Some might call this land-grabbing or even the beginning of a "fascist presidency" However, Polk's actions enormously benefitted the USA.

What say you? Who are some other Presidents who are underrated by historians and why?

[cpg35223]

I think you're spot on with James K. Polk.

Another one I would offer up is the first Bush (Not his son, who was a total disaster). If you think about it, Bush 41 steered the country and the world through three major international upheavals during his four-year term: 1) The collapse of the Soviet empire, 2) The attempted coup in the Soviet Union, and 3) The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait without any major hiccups, despite the increase in the price of oil. Yes, there was a mild recession at the end of his term, but some kind of economic retrenchment was almost inevitable after a decade of expansion.

One who I think is greatly overrated is Woodrow Wilson. Yes, he was president during World War I, and America's entry into the war probably prevented the Central Powers from prevailing, but he fumbled the peace at Versailles. What's more, from an economic standpoint, I would argue that his creation of the Federal Reserve and the Federal Income Tax probably were the seeds for most of the economic problems we face today because of the artificial manipulation of the money supply AND the permanent expansion of the Federal government.

[thelogannator123]

Herbert Hoover, a lot of people blame him for the great depression but really it was the policies of Harding and Coolidge that caused the depression. True he didn't act soon enough but he did try hard.

[Sandpointian]

Originally Posted by markg91359

I thought I would start this thread about American Presidents.

Everyone pretty much agrees that the top Presidents in our nation's history were Lincoln, Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Truman. Who are we overlooking though? Alot of men with enormous talent have sat in the Oval Office (or whatever office was there before that).

Here's a President that I think is very overlooked: James K. Polk.

Polk who was from Tennessee was elected in 1844. He ultimately only served one term in office because he was in poor health by 1848. However, his administration is noteworthy because of the Mexican War of 1846-1847 which was ended by the Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo. The Mexican War added huge territory to the USA including what later would become California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado to the union. This set us down the path for future settlement and economic development. The Louisiana Purchase was a "great land grab too". However, the Mexican Cession was the biggest one of all.

Polk did much to instigate the war with Mexico, purposefully deploying American soldiers between the Nueces and Rio Grande Rivers in Texas. Polk likely anticipated Mexican soldiers would attack the troops and this would serve as a pretext for the Mexican War. Some might call this land-grabbing or even the beginning of a "fascist presidency" However, Polk's actions enormously benefitted the USA.

What say you? Who are some other Presidents who are underrated by historians and why?

While I think Polk's tenure might be overlooked, I would not say he is underrated, as he was a rather slimy and despicable character.

Underrated
-----------
1. James Monroe. Monroe Doctrine
2. Eisenhower, Prez at peak of US power and influence
3. Bill Clinton, yes him
4. James Madison, After 1812
5. Woodrow Wilson, US on the world stage
6. Andrew Jackson, fights against the Bank of the US

Bill Clinton could have been mentioned among the greats but was felled by his own ego and narcissism. History will remember him as the President who who destroyed what could have been a fine legacy...not just with Monica...

Jackson: had the central bank in the US been established so early, we would probably be a more centralized country.

Eisenhower should get more credit for not expanding the federal role into every day lives as you now see. Also, he should get more credit for letting state government and the courts find their own solutions, as was designed into our Constitution.

S.

[Fred314X]

He wasn't in office long enough to accomplish a lot (1849-50), but I think Zachary Taylor deserves at least a passing nod. The rumblings that would eventually culminate in the Civil War had started when his term began. Taylor, a Virginian and undeniable Southern sympathist, nonetheless took his oath of office in deadly seriousness. He promised that if there was any attempt by any state at secession while he was President, he personally would lead the army against it.

[lucknow]

I think that the second president, John Adams is the most under rated and key leader the country has ever had. If it had not been for him the Jeffersonian ideas of what the union should be might have been the way the country evolved and the central government would have lacked power to the point where the country would never have lasted. He respected states rights but he recognized that the federal government needed to be robust and be the government of all Americans. When he took power the USA was very regional and the people were more identified with their state than with the country.

[TonyT]

I would have to say that Rutherford B. Hayes falls into the category of underrated Presidents.

Hayes was a lawyer by profession, having graduated from Harvard Law School. A moderate opponent of slavery, Hayes defended (quite successfully) runaway slaves in legal proceedings in Ohio to prevent them from being returned to their former slave owners. Though he did not have an issue with some Southern states seceding from the Union, the attack on Fort Sumter incensed him. At nearly 40 years of age, Hayes volunteered for military service. Serving first as a Major then a Colonel, he was wounded a total of four times in battle, becoming the only future President that fought in the Civil War to have that distinction.

After the Civil War, Hayes was elected to Congress as supporter of Radical Reconstruction of the South. He resigned in 1867 to run for Governor of Ohio. As part of his campaign for Governor, Hayes supported an amendment to the constitution of Ohio that would give voting rights to African-Americans. Though elected to two terms as Governor, the amendment Hayes sought was defeated by the Democrat controlled state legislature.

In 1875, the Republican Party was in search of a candidate for President. They needed someone that would be able to repair the damage done to it's image by the scandals and economic downturn that took place during U.S. Grant's presidency. With his reputation for integrity, status as a war hero, support for Reconstruction and rights for African-Americans, Hayes was seen as the perfect choice. Hayes received the nomination and ran on a platform of reform of the civil service, resumption of the gold standard, and support for honest and capable government in the South that would protect the constitutional rights of all citizens. He also pledged to serve only one term as President, going so far as to suggest the implementation of presidential term limits in combination with extending the time in office from four to six years.

The election that brought Rutherford Hayes the presidency was one of the most contentious in American history up to that point. With charges of vote fraud and intimidation, the election ended with no clear winner and the prospect of no President being seated by Inauguration Day. A bipartisan election commission was set up that actually decided the matter, giving Hayes the victory by one electoral vote. After the decision, Haye's Democrat opponents routinely referred to him as "Rutherfraud" and "His Fraudulency".

Once in office however, Hayes set out to unite the nation once more and fulfill his campaign pledges. As promised, he returned the country to the gold standard. After several years of economic instability, the move saw an almost immediate return to prosperity. He reformed the civil service, returning the power of making appointments to such posts back to the President instead of the legislative branch, which had routinely used the jobs to pay off political favors. He also strengthened the power of the President in legislative matters. He battled with the Democrat controlled Congress to retain his veto power, ensuring that future president's would not have unconstitutional legislation forced upon them. And as promised, Hayes served only one term, leaving office in 1880.

Though considered somewhat mediocre or ineffective by modern historians, Rutherford B. Hayes was considered to have had an extremely successful presidency by his contemporaries. He charted a very middle of the road course, was able to accomplish much of what he wanted while in office, and left the country in better shape then it was when he was elected. He was popular with the public, due in large part to his traveling the country extensively and speaking directly to the people about issues that were important to him. His greatest failure was his inability to stop the erosion and elimination of African-American voting rights at the hands of a Democrat dominated Congress. Still, Hayes was the last president of the 19th Century that had a genuine desire to see African-American's rights preserved.

In his Inaugural Address in 1877, Rutherford Hayes stated "he serves his party best who serves his country best". And that is exactly how he conducted his presidency. I have to believe that if more individuals seeking higher office both past and present adhered to that simple principle, we as a country would be much better off then we are now.

[Sandpointian]

Originally Posted by Fred314X

He wasn't in office long enough to accomplish a lot (1849-50), but I think Zachary Taylor deserves at least a passing nod. The rumblings that would eventually culminate in the Civil War had started when his term began. Taylor, a Virginian and undeniable Southern sympathist, nonetheless took his oath of office in deadly seriousness. He promised that if there was any attempt by any state at secession while he was President, he personally would lead the army against it.

I was thinking Zach, too, but more for the "what could have been?? category!

S.

[Alexander M.]

I think Calvin Coolidge is woefully underrated. His economic policies, unlike what some say, did not lead to the Great Depression. Rather, they caused the "Roaring Twenties". Also, he cleaned up the corruption inherent in the Harding Administration.

[djmilf]

Originally Posted by Sandpointian

Underrated
-----------
1. James Monroe. Monroe Doctrine
2. Eisenhower, Prez at peak of US power and influence
3. Bill Clinton, yes him
4. James Madison, After 1812
5. Woodrow Wilson, US on the world stage
6. Andrew Jackson, fights against the Bank of the US

Just a couple of observations/opinions....

It is my understanding that the Monroe Doctrine was actually created by Monroe's Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams, and that Monroe pretty much just rubber-stamped it. Is there anything else that in your opinion recommends Monroe?

I don't think you can give kudos to Eisenhower for what he didn't do, unless the point you're making is that he temporarily reversed a trend started or continued by previous Presidents.

I find it interesting that you would include Andrew Jackson as under-rated. I believe most historians would rank Jackson in a second tier of presidents, the first tier containing Washington and Lincoln and the second tier containing (in no particular order) Jefferson, Jackson and FDR.