Since it was recently President’s Day, I decided it would be necessary to honor them by listing my top five favorite presidents. The criteria for my decisions are based upon their accomplishments and how good of a person they are/were. These are in no order, just a list of five presidents I felt excelled in running this country.

Since it was recently President’s Day, I decided it would be necessary to honor them by listing my top five favorite presidents. 

Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)

Abraham Lincoln should be on every list of great presidents. He started a new trend, equality. Despite heavy pro-slavery views by many Americans, he saw past this and knew it was wrong for people to own slaves. He ultimately led the Union Army back in the Civil War to a victory, which ended slavery once and for all. He did it all with that iconic hat too, what an achievement. Unfortunately, he was assassinated just five days after the Confederacy surrendered. I guess the good sometimes do die young.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the president throughout the U.S. involvement in the second World War. He expanded the size and role of the federal government through his New Deal social programs. He also led the U.S. during the rough times of the Great Depression, something the previous president, Herbert Hoover, was unable to do effectively. On top of all these obstacles, he is the only president to be elected four times. He would have been the first to serve four times, however he died 18 days before the end of the war due to health issues. He had a lot of curveballs thrown his way, but he was able to overcome them successfully.

John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)

“JFK” is one of the most talked about presidents ever. Not only did he stop the Soviets in the Cuban Missile Crisis, but his family was the image for all Americans. Everyone wanted their families to be like the Kennedys. They were the Kardashians of the 20th century. He also won the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his heroic acts in World War II. He was the youngest president ever elected and still is to this day. He also worked for civil rights, signing an order in 1961 that required government contractors to take affirmative action to ensure all employees are treated equally irrespective of their race, creed, color or national origin. He later signed another order that banned segregation in federal funded housing. Like some other great presidents, he was assassinated. He created a legacy like none other, and some consider him the greatest president to ever take office.

Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)

One of the most influential presidents of all time, it would be wrong of me not to include Ronald Reagan on this list. He entered office with major economic issues such as high inflation and unemployment. He created economic policies, often referred to as “Reaganomics,” that drastically decreased the amount of inflation and unemployment. He quickly turned America around with one of the largest economic booms in history. His elite military mind helped guide the U.S. through the harsh Cold War as well. He signed a treaty that eliminated all nuclear and conventional missiles with short and intermediate range. This led to a peaceful end to the war. Before his presidency, he was the governor of California for eight years. That man could do it all.

George Washington (1789-1797)

How could I not put the founding father of the United States of America on this list? Obviously, he was the first president ever, but he was much more than that. It’s mostly his accomplishments before his presidency that make him who he was. He was the commander in chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. He led the Americans in battle as they defeated the British in the war. He capped off an impressive underdog story that can’t be made up. He trained and maintained an army and led them into battle against highly trained British soldiers. After all, he’s not on Mount Rushmore for no reason.

There might be some controversy for not putting Donald Trump on this list, but I can’t make any changes now. 

These are my top five presidents. I don’t talk about presidents often, and since President’s Day recently occurred, I figured I could say a few words about it. I mean, there really wasn’t a bad president, but these are the people I believe made the biggest impact on America. There might be some controversy for not putting Donald Trump on this list, but I can’t make any changes now.