Who is the greatest American in history and why?

Question

Personally I'm going with a toss-up between Edison and Franklin because their scientific ideas and inventions changed the course of the American future.

Answer 1

Bill Clinton. He was conservative (except for the BJ). He was awesome and our economy expanded immensely under his control. We also had better relations with other countries while he was in office. Now we are alienated.

Answer 2

According to 2.4 million Americans that voted, its Ronald Reagan. Top ten and link are below.
1 Ronald Reagan
2 Abraham Lincoln
3 Martin Luther King
4 George Washington
5 Benjamin Franklin
6 George W Bush
7 Bill Clinton
8 Elvis Presley
9 Oprah Winfrey
10 Franklin D Roosevelt

Answer 3

George Washington Carver, a black man who was an inventor who is credited with inventing more than 300 uses for the peanut.

George Washington Carver devoted his life to research projects connected primarily with southern agriculture. The products he derived from the peanut and the soybean revolutionized the economy of the South by liberating it from an excessive dependence on cotton.

Born a slave in the spring of 1864 in Diamond Grove, Missouri, Carver was only an infant when he and his mother were abducted from his owner's plantation by a band of slave raiders. His mother was sold and shipped away, but Carver was ransomed by his master in exchange for a race horse.

While working as a farm hand, Carver managed to obtain a high school education. He was admitted as the first black student of Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa. He then attended Iowa Agricultural College (now Iowa State University) where, while working as the school janitor, he received a degree in agricultural science in 1894. Two years later he received a master's degree from the same school and became the first African American to serve on its faculty. Within a short time his fame spread, and Booker T. Washington offered him a post at Tuskegee.

Carver revolutionized the southern agricultural economy by showing that 300 products could be derived from the peanut. By 1938, peanuts had become a $200 million industry and a chief product of Alabama. Carver also demonstrated that 100 different products could be derived from the sweet potato.

Although he did hold three patents, Carver never patented most of the many discoveries he made while at Tuskegee, saying "God gave them to me, how can I sell them to someone else?" In 1938 he donated over $30,000 of his life's savings to the George Washington Carver Foundation and willed the rest of his estate to the organization so his work might be carried on after his death. He died on January 5, 1943.

Answer 4

Columbus - the first immigrant (well...that's more with a twinkle in the eye)

but more serious

Bill Gates and his friends when they founded Microsoft - who had a real big impact for everyone when with bringing DOS and then Windows to the markets and making computers usable. This enabled billions of ordinary people to use computers and make them PCs. Computers were only for specialists before. They enabled the people.
Following that came the Internet and especially the Web and it would have not happened without Bill Gates and friends first doing the groundwork by enabling people, the masses to use computers.
The Web is already and will change the global societies, think blogs, movies, email, forums, communication, telecommute)
Furthermore Microsoft created hundreds of millions of jobs outside their company (mine would never exist without Windows and most people I know are in the same boat) it keeps the economy alive and humming.
And most impressive - Bill Gates is donating a huge portion of his money to charity. Otherwise he quiet and hidden and does not mess with politics, seems very wise.
This man is my hero, seriously.

Answer 5

The brave men and women that fought the American Revolutionary War. If it weren't for them, we'd still be a part of Britan, and thus not considerably American. But this is assuming you mean the United States, as America consist of South and North America, and even North America consists of us, Canada and Mexico. In American history in general, I can't answer that, due to the fact I know so little about all American history.

Answer 6

The people, the scientest, the farmers, the workers, the big men, the towns people. All inventors made their discoveries possible not only by innovation, ambition or other elements. In a way if you look at the list below, they are all important. Think about this, no matter who you pick, with out his/hers parents he would have not existed. Adam and Eve are our fathers and mothers. After Noe, we all came from his sons' and the son's wifes. They are just as important. Again with your question, who is the greates American in history and why, answer: THE POEPLE. YOU, ME & ALL OF US ON THIS GREAT PLANET WE CALL EARTH, oh, don't forget JESUS CHRIST

Answer 7

Certainly NOT Bill Clinton! and by the way, CJ/ Bill Clinton is not a conservative. He also sat back and did nothing when our American soldiers were being slaughtered and dragged down the streets of Somalia.We won't even go into the Monica thing, and also the killing of the Christians in Bosnia, and protecting the Muslims. In my opinion hes an immoral,scum-sucking liberal.

Answer 8

The greatest American in history was Chief Joseph of the Nez Prez Indian nation. He led his people two thousand miles trying to outrun the US Calvary and defeated the army in Every engagement that they fought.

Answer 9

Yea, that electricity was great idea. cause with it we got two of the greatest inventions to mankind. Air conditioning, which changed our work and leisure lives, And something to power our computers.
But i'm gonna have to go with Bill Gates. He truly has changed the world.

Answer 10

I would have to say Rosa Parks for all of the good she did for African Americans. Also, Martin Luther King. It is sad that he died so young, when he could have had such an even bigger impact on the world.