The Atlantic Monthly: The 100 most influential Americans

[Odin2005]

1 Abraham Lincoln
He saved the Union, freed the slaves, and presided over America’s second founding.

2 George Washington
He made the United States possible—not only by defeating a king, but by declining to become one himself.

3 Thomas Jefferson
The author of the five most important words in American history: “All men are created equal.”

4 Franklin Delano Roosevelt
He said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” and then he proved it.

5 Alexander Hamilton
Soldier, banker, and political scientist, he set in motion an agrarian nation’s transformation into an industrial power.

6 Benjamin Franklin
The Founder-of-all-trades— scientist, printer, writer, diplomat, inventor, and more; like his country, he contained multitudes.

7 John Marshall
The defining chief justice, he established the Supreme Court as the equal of the other two federal branches.

8 Martin Luther King Jr.
His dream of racial equality is still elusive, but no one did more to make it real.

9 Thomas Edison
It wasn’t just the lightbulb; the Wizard of Menlo Park was the most prolific inventor in American history.

10 Woodrow Wilson
He made the world safe for U.S. interventionism, if not for democracy.




the rest of the list is here: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/print/200612/influentials

[davidinalameda]

1. Reagan is ranked ahead of Truman?

whatever

[Erika]

2. It will take a few generations to see the damage Reagan actually

did to this country. Now, they are still in a fog because he could say pretty words at opportune times. Some might think he was a Hollywood actor without a brain in his head but able to say pretty words.

[southerncrone]

12. Reagan is soooo overrated

I do not see why he is considered such a wonderful president. He was simply a puppet for Bush I & his crowd. I remember my husband & I were in shock when a 3rd rate actor w/a monkey costar was elected President! Things only went down hill from there. I only wish we could go back to 1979 & recoup all those destructive years. If not for October Suprises......

Where is George Washington Carver on that list?

[BurtWorm]

27. He's the token wingnut.

Got to have one on the list to keep the wingnuts happy and silent.

[BlooInBloo]

14. He was as influential as dropping 2 nuclear bombs, killing hundreds of thousands of civilians?

REALLY? You seriously think that?

To say nothing of NATO, helping to start the Cold War, the Marshall Plan, the rebuilding of Japan, and the Korean War.

And yet you say Reagan was more influential because of something you claim we'll see in "a few generations"?


God bless genius DUers. And god bless the American educational system that cranks them out.


EDIT: " few generations"... hm... That works out to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 Friedman units. Absolute genius.

[davidinalameda]

21. he was more influential by ending WW2

what would you have had Truman do?

invade Japan and cost thousands of American lives, not to mention the thousands of Allied troops and Japanese?

[BlooInBloo]

23. I never said, suggested, or implied that Truman acted improperly...

... I only said that he was influential - and that dropping nukes was one example of how. I have no idea what, in your imagination, you're harping about. If you wanna call it "ending WWII", rather than "dropping nukes" - that's your business.

And it should be noted that it's a live and lively area of historical research whether or not Truman acted properly on the nuking thing. Until the historians are satisfied, I'm happy to assume that he did act properly.

[davidinalameda]

24. your comment about "killing hundreds of thousands of civilians"

seems to imply that you don't approve of his actions

that's what I'm "harping" about

[BlooInBloo]

25. ... sounded influential, to the highest possible degree....

Which was *precisely* what the context of the conversation, within which it was placed, demanded.

Anything more is all you, attempting to manufacture disagreement when none is to be found naturally.


EDIT: Word choice in subject changed for greater clarity.

[political_outcast]

3. oh, boy, more alpha primates for us to worship!

where can I buy the poster?

[spindrifter]

4. 10% are women.

[stevedeshazer]

5. #30 is the first woman.

And the lily-white editorial staff of editorial writer/guys at AM rejoice collecting their 7-figure salaries.

[mrcheerful]

6. Wasn't it Wilson that invited

the KKK to march in DC? And if memory serves me, Wilson was an rumored member of the KKK.

[Odin2005]

7. He was definitely a racist, that's for sure.

[troubleinwinter]

8. and #14... notorious anti semite

[jgraz]

9. "96. Ralph Nader...he made George W. Bush the president"

What freeper wrote this crap?

[Skinner]

26. Freeper? LOL.

I don't want to take this thread off topic, but it is a fact that Nader's presence in the 2000 presidential race helped tip the race to Bush. (I know a bunch of people are going to respond by listing all the other things that helped tip the race to Bush, and you would all be correct. But that doesn't change the fact that Nader's presence in the 2000 race helped Bush and hurt Gore. If he had not been in the race, Florida would not have been close enough for Republicans to steal. Like it or not, that is part of Nader's legacy. He understood exactly what he was doing.)

[Odin2005]

28. Yep, I used to respect Nader untill he pulled that crap in 2000.

[BlueJazz]

10. As soon as I read #17 (raygun) I thought: "Screw this poll" n/t

[Odin2005]

16. "influential" doesn't necessaily mean "in a good way."

Hitler was infulential but he certainly wasn't a good guy, same for St. Ronnie.

[BlooInBloo]

19. The very notion that Reagan was more influential than Truman is laughable....

List of stuff off of the top of my head - No ONE of which can Reagan match - let alone the aggregate.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2807330#2807578

[Massacure]

11. Madison and Paine deserve to be higher up on the list.

[vireo]

13. Those were the omissions from the top ten

which first came to my mind, but I was relieved to see they at least made the list, unlike JFK.

[political_outcast]

15. madison belongs right up there with Hitler

yep-> http://cyberjournal.org/authors/fresia/

[vireo]

17. Sorry, but Hitler is not eligible

Not an American. :P

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[The Straight Story]

18. Where's Skinner on the list? We need one for DU :) (nt)

[bicentennial_baby]

20. Reagan was hardly the architect of the Cold War's end...

Jesus f'n Christ...No, the Soviet system, economic failures (i.e. failure to structurally adjust the Soviet economy), and political stagnation brought down the USSR, not Reagan, not by a long f'n shot.... :eyes:

[JI7]

22. what Reagan is responsible for

is the selfishness in society today. the lack of concern and contempt for poor people, people who are sick. i know it wasn't just Reagan, but i think he made it ok to feel that way and to idolize the corrupt wealthy types.