You have had a president named Martin Van Buren???
I can believe that name. But how did a man named Chester A. Arthur get elected?!
Add me to the list of people who question the relatively high rating of Andrew Jackson. Just a few weeks ago, I had my GATE students read primary sources from supporters and opponents regarding five areas of conflict during Jackson's administration (Jacksonian Democracy, the Spoils System, The Second Bank of the U.S., the Nullification Crisis, and Indian Removal). Then they read excerpts from Jackson's first Inaugural Address. Their test essay prompt was: "In your opinion, did Jackson live up to the goals he set for himself in his Inaugural Address?" Out of about 100 students, none of them concluded that he had. Most of them villified him as a murderer for his treatment of Native Americans. Jackson kicked people out of civil service jobs and put his friends in those positions, vetoed Congressional actions, defied the Supreme Court, and ignored states rights. There's a reason his opponents called him King Jackson.
Truman dropped the atomic bomb on innocent Japanese civilians, JFK nearly lead us to World War 3, Jefferson unconstitutionally purchased the Louisiana Territory, Teddy Roosevelt slaughtered innocent animals...it seems that people at the top of the list have a lot to answer for.
By the way, all of this ignores the people I call the
Real First 10 Presidents . Just because the Articles of Confederation failed doesn't mean that there weren't patriotic Americans providing political service to our country.
