Warren Harding's reputation was tarnished by the scandals that emerged after his death. Credit: AP. Presidential ranking surveys have since proliferated, with historians and political scientists deploying increasingly elaborate methods to try to assess presidents' track records as objectively as possible. The Siena College Research Institute in New York, which has conducted regular presidential surveys since , asks experts to assess presidents based on 20 categories ranging from integrity, intelligence, willingness to take risks, management of the economy, foreign policy achievements and their relationship with Congress.
Even so, these surveys have their critics. Schlesinger's survey was accused of being biased towards Democrats - a common complaint about subsequent surveys given political scientists and historians tend to be significantly more left-leaning than the population at large.
The early presidents have also largely been given a pass for acts of racism that would destroy the reputation of their modern-day successors. Washington and Jefferson rank highly despite owning slaves, as does Woodrow Wilson despite segregating the federal bureaucracy based on race.
Abraham Lincoln is usually ranked the best president in the United States across most surveys. Credit: Getty Images. The rankings have bounced around over time, and usually have slight differences depending who conducts the survey.
But when it comes to the best and worst presidents in history, there has had been little change since Schlesinger's first list in Washington, FDR and Lincoln nearly have always dominated the top three slots. Harding has been consistently placed at the bottom, alongside Andrew Johnson President from April 15, to March 4, and James Buchanan who served from March 4, to March 4, Already ranked among the worst presidents ever, top historians and political scientists told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that Trump's efforts to overturn the result of the election, on top of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, have cemented his place as America's worst president.
In February , political science professors Brandon Rottinghaus and Justin Vaughn published the second iteration of their Presidential Greatness Survey. Almost experts were asked to grade all presidents on a "greatness scale" from zero failure to excellence. Lincoln came in top with a score of Trump, who had just completed the first year of his presidency came in dead last with a score of just That compared to a score of Bush and Such a low ranking for Trump — so early in his presidency — irked some, including data guru Nate Silver.
At the time unemployment was at near-record lows and there had been no national security crises. Even when taking ideology into account, Trump did poorly in the survey, ranking 40th out of 44th among the Republican-leaning scholars who participated.
The most recent Siena College survey , released around the same time, was sightly less damning for Trump. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Good Subscriber Account active since Shortcuts. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile. Log out. US Markets Loading H M S In the news.
Yet even with an expanded group of scholars, prejudices endure. At least 12 men on the list enslaved people during their lifetimes, including Washington, Grant, Thomas Jefferson ranked 7th and James Monroe ranked 12th.
Harding against the bad choices he made in his personal life. Among other faults, he espoused racist views and was not a full-throated supporter of equality for African Americans.
Nora McGreevy is a daily correspondent for Smithsonian. She can be reached through her website, noramcgreevy. Abraham Lincoln left claimed first place, while William Henry Harrison right came in 40th. National Portrait Gallery United States presidential history is rife with complexity: each leader governed according to or against his own mores, channeled his unique skills or lack thereof , was buffeted by the social, economic, and political winds of his time, and made decisions both good and bad for the nation.
0コメント