Who do you think did more to change America for the better than any other U.S. President?

Question

A. Ronald Reagan
B. John F. Kennedy
C. Abraham Lincoln
D. Franklin Roosevelt
E. Other

Answer 1

There are a lot of presidents there that had a great change in the country, but the one that I saw in my lifetime was Ronald Reagan. He did two things. He made the country feel good about itself. He followed Carter who is a great ex-president but did not have a good 4 years and Nixon who is questionably worse than the present president. The country was not happy with itself and was shamed by Iran. Reagan gave us stability and self-assurance. He also stood up to the Russians with a policy that convinced them that we were not going to back down. That ultimately helped in the dismantlement of the Communist block.

Answer 2

Although FDR and Abraham Lincoln perhaps had the most impact, that's not the question you're asking, is it?

Change for the better is a more difficult question. Certainly, Lincoln wasn't an ardent abolitionist. His goal during the Civil War was to unite North and South, not free slaves. (By the way, he only freed slaves in the South with the EmanProc. There were still slaves in the Union.) The freeing of slaves was more of a strategey than a moral stand. And it barely worked as a strategy. FDR carried the United States through one of its bloodiest wasr, but he also behaved like a dictator at times - he attempted to stack the Supreme Court in his favor when the Court (rightly) knocked down his legislation as unconstitutional. Many of his programs were unconstitutional, but ushered in under the guise of a national crisis. We have to blame FDR for the fact that our government is so bloated, invasive, and bureaucratic. Even though Truman and Eisenhower contributed to the downslide after WWII, FDR made it possible.

So, who changed the US for the better? I don't know. I like Thomas Jefferson. He banned the slave trade, acquired the Louisiana Territory, sent out explorers west, and I appreciate his philosophy a little more. Maybe Reagan. He's downplayed as a "conservative," but if you actually read his speeches, he's quite libertarian. I like that. I do have to give a nod to Lincoln since the North eventually prevailed over the South and the Republicans managed to get the 13th Amendment through.

In the name of historical distance, I'm picking Jefferson. I'm tempted to pick Washington because he chose to step down after two terms. I love that.

Answer 3

Abraham Lincoln

Answer 4

Franklin Roosevelt without a doubt. He got us through the Great Depression and World War II

Answer 5

George Washington.

Answer 6

Abraham Lincoln; for freeing the slaves. That had a greater impact than anything the others did.

Answer 7

George Wsahington then Abraham Lincoln - probably no-one after that until JFK and no-one since.

Answer 8

they all changed America for the better, but I think FDR really had the most impact.

Answer 9

I'm sorry I cannot answer this question due to fear that my opinion may not agree with those who participate here or with the Yahoo Answers administration.

Answer 10

FDR by a mile.