I took a long holiday from the presidents because, frankly, I burned myself out due to my ambitious schedule.
No matter. Look for my report on Benjamin Harrison to appear this Sunday, April 20.
Thanks for reading (and sticking around).
Examining and evaluating the 18th and 19th century presidents
Purpose
I began this site in January 2007 with the intention of examining each president in the context of his times.
I am more interested in how each man dealt with the problems and issues of his day than how he "ranks" against other presidents. Ranking them against each other in order of greatness produces a false understanding of these men, because each faced a unique set of circumstances. I am most interested in: their successes and failures in achieving their goals, how they used executive authority, how much they expanded executive authority, how they were elected president and why, and whether they dealt with the problems before them or passed them to the next man in line.
Examining the presidents from this perspective is producing some quite surprising results.
See the first post for the full explanation, although since that time I have revised my criteria somewhat. I decided against rewriting any of the earlier presidents except for minor additions, because I still agree with my conclusions.
Finally, this site has been revised to feature only the presidents of the 18th and 19th centuries (Washington through Cleveland).
-- January 2009
I am more interested in how each man dealt with the problems and issues of his day than how he "ranks" against other presidents. Ranking them against each other in order of greatness produces a false understanding of these men, because each faced a unique set of circumstances. I am most interested in: their successes and failures in achieving their goals, how they used executive authority, how much they expanded executive authority, how they were elected president and why, and whether they dealt with the problems before them or passed them to the next man in line.
Examining the presidents from this perspective is producing some quite surprising results.
See the first post for the full explanation, although since that time I have revised my criteria somewhat. I decided against rewriting any of the earlier presidents except for minor additions, because I still agree with my conclusions.
Finally, this site has been revised to feature only the presidents of the 18th and 19th centuries (Washington through Cleveland).
-- January 2009
Updated and revised essays
John Adams - Jan. 22, 2009
Thomas Jefferson - Jan. 22, 2009
John Tyler - Jan. 25, 2009
Abraham Lincoln - Feb. 18, 2009
Thomas Jefferson - Jan. 22, 2009
John Tyler - Jan. 25, 2009
Abraham Lincoln - Feb. 18, 2009
Labels
- Abraham Lincoln (5)
- Andrew Jackson (8)
- Andrew Johnson (2)
- Barack Obama (2)
- Benjamin Harrison (2)
- Chester A. Arthur (3)
- Civil War (3)
- Daniel Webster (2)
- Democratic Party (14)
- Democratic presidents (1)
- Federalists (2)
- Franklin Pierce (1)
- general (1)
- George W. Bush (2)
- George Washington (3)
- Grover Cleveland (3)
- Hamilton (1)
- Henry Clay (4)
- Introduction (1)
- James Buchanan (3)
- James G. Blaine (2)
- James Garfield (3)
- James K. Polk (4)
- James Madison (4)
- James Monroe (3)
- Jefferson Davis (1)
- Jeffersonians (1)
- John Adams (4)
- John C. Calhoun (2)
- John Quincy Adams (5)
- John Tyler (4)
- Kansas (1)
- Martin Van Buren (6)
- Mexican War (3)
- Millard Fillmore (3)
- preview (1)
- Radical Republicans (2)
- rankings (1)
- Reconstruction (3)
- Republican Party (10)
- Republican Presidents (6)
- Republican-Democrats (4)
- Rutherford B. Hayes (3)
- Stephen A. Douglas (2)
- Thomas Jefferson (5)
- Ulysses S. Grant (5)
- War of 1812 (1)
- Whig Party (4)
- Whigs (7)
- William Henry Harrison (3)
- William McKinley (2)
- Winfield Scott (3)
- Zachary Taylor (4)
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