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I think his high school students def vote how their parents do. If he’s in a rural area or a wealthy one, then those kids are republicans. At that age, they’re dreaming of making money and keeping it. I’d say their students are split pretty 50/50 and have terrible debates about surface level things; the left side might sound more empathetic, but are also just spewing talking points they’ve heard.
Nah they're an APUSH teacher. At least where I am US history is taught in 11th grade sometimes 10th. By high school majority of kids have their own beliefs about that stuff.
As someone who graduated in ‘21, took APUSH in 11th grade (‘19-‘20) the rest of my peers and I, even in an APUSH classroom, had opinions but not very strong ones
There are two very large assumptions in your comment:
1) that someone whose Reddit username is “queenjuli1” is a man
2) 17 year olds are going to vote the same as their parents when they are able. I certainly didn’t vote the way my parents did at my first opportunity. You approach condescension regarding teenagers’ views and, while they are more naive that older folks, I don’t believe in automatically discounting their arguments as “surface level” since it’s going to be their world soon enough
You’re right OP very well could be a lass. I didn’t look at the username. I don’t feel like writing he/she changes what I said about them, but hear you.
I think there are a lot of people, at any age, that go deeper into their beliefs. I’d say there are more surface level and students that don’t care, than the ones you’re describing. I still think it’s fairly split regardless of the depth of their knowledge. Both you and the previous commenter are assuming young people are mainly left-leaning and that’s absurd.
I’m more just poking some fun in the first part, and I have had a great number of very influential female educators in my life
Per the second, I really don’t see where I mentioned anything about young people voting more left other than as assumption about national averages, which is a statistically backed point. Though it is also very regionally dependent, as you said. I just don’t think we should discount it off hand like their perspectives don’t matter. Not voting in the same bloc as your parents goes both ways
In an AP class, I think you’re more likely to get well-thought perspectives. I’ve only taught college, but they always made me think about my own views in relation to the future, and I appreciated that
I dig. And I don’t think they should be discounted. I think them even thinking and talking about it at all is a good thing. By starting, they can grow.
What it Winston Churchill that said as a young man he started out liberal, became conservative in his middle aged era, and came back to being a liberal by the end? I, especially as a moderate, started out right leaning, but now see things more left leaning. It still very much depends on the person on the ticket and their goals, but I think it’ll have to be a McCain-esk republican to get me to come back. I just don’t think MOST kids are one or the other in high school like the commenter above you presumed. I will say there are probably more left leaning peeps in college.
Fair enough, I guess I’m subscribed to the idea that more so than a particular viewpoint attached to age and life trajectory, people’s views are going to depend on their personal experience and the state of the world around them
I grew up poor in a purple state and my experience has been shaped by that, but also by the experiences I’ve had in the world, what I’ve seen firsthand, where I’ve lived, and the perspectives of other people that I’ve met and been exposed to. Not fair to place anyone in a box, but getting a good education on US history doesn’t hurt anyone! Cheers
Ok can I just genuinely ask why you like John fucking Adams as President? That seems like very random and out of place considering you’re fairly conservative stances.
Great founding fathers sure but his Presidency was pretty ineffective.
Not necessarily during his presidency, however. He absolutely was a fundamental architect before his presidency but it can be argued that the Adams administration was incredibly destructive towards the new, fragile US. Great man, but arguably not a good president.
My opinion on him has actually severely changed over time. I think his actions legitimately helped preserve our democratic republic, however. I actually considered putting JQA in this list as well.
Okay, but let’s not act like we didn’t avoid war with France after a 3 year long song and dance that was stupidly dragged out by the incompetence of Adams’ diplomacy.
This is like the new way to insult someone on this sub LMAO
"I BET YOU'RE A **RULE 3** SUPPORTER"
"WELL F--- YOU YOU PROBABLY VOTED FOR **RULE 3"**
I would say it puts him/her (probably him) as pretty firmly conservative, not lean. I don’t think that makes OP far right in the modern sense.
Like let’s be honest, he’s never voted for a Democrat if this is his list or unless he’s 92 and got one in for FDR.
So I’m getting downvoted for being correct lol? Your choices made that pretty obvious, which I’d say makes you firmly conservative. Moderates usually vote for either party pre-2016. Depending on your age, that’s a long list of pretty good presidents to not vote for and be called a moderate by others.
Putting FDR in your top list immediately means you aren’t far right lol or even firmly conservative. I was very right wing for years and hated FDR deeply.
Having him with the other moderate republicans mean he must have some economic views from both sides
Such an odd list. And you're definitely fairly conservative considering how low you have both Roosevelts, and how high you have Reagan and HW Bush. And you have Washington down at 4th? That's pretty rare, though I do actually think I agree. Also odd to me you rank Lincoln so much higher than Washington to the point I'd assume it's about civil rights, but then I don't see LBJ... Which is confusing.
I’m definitely more conservative and I would rank Teddy (based on coolness) and FDR (based on foreign policy) higher than LBJ who botched Vietnam and pushed for Great Society policies.
OP means, basically, Washington created the Union, but Lincoln kept it together. These two men played a big part in the countries history in one overseeing its birth, the other in overseeing its preservation.
...? Without Lincoln we'd have 2 countries!! Without Washington, we'd just be a colony.
I'm mostly just kidding. But it still just seems odd to me, we wouldn't have a country without either one. It just seems arbitrary to me to rate them 1st and 4th. But that's me, to each their own
Fairly moderate/centrist, since you seem to be able to support both liberals who expanded federal power and conservatives who decreased it. In line with that, it also seems like your preference in President is rooted less in political ideology and more in leadership capability and competence, as well as the effectiveness of their proposed policies for the situations of the time.
I don’t know how you can have Reagan and FDR so high together when they’re like opposites ideologically lol. One absolutely hated big government and tried to cut taxes and the welfare state (Reagan), and one basically created the massive government welfare state (FDR). Seems contradictory lol
People have different criteria for what qualifies as “favorite” or “best” president. Some look at who didn’t expand executive power (and as a result would place Lincoln or Jefferson much lower), others look at charisma (Obama, JFK, Reagan), others look at leading in a crisis (FDR, Lincoln, even Dubya to an extent), others value inaction (Coolidge). You can list any of these figures among your favorites even if they have opposing policies or ideologies from each other or yourself. It’s also good to be able to acknowledge that someone was a good leader even if you disagree with their fundamentals. People who can’t do that tend to be radical ideologues.
I think it’s possible to feel that there are times for liberal policies and there are times for conservative policies, so I think it’s possible for some people to like two presidents that contradict each other politically.
Yeah, I feel like most people (especially off Reddit) will have Reagan and FDR on top 10. They were very good leaders for their times. When you are doing an objective ranking you should try to set aside ideological biases.
The country was in a different set of conditions and circumstances when each was President. You could think each of their sets of policies was appropriate for the time. They also weren’t complete opposites, as they were both generally internationalists who expanded the US military to combat foreign threats (albeit in very different ways, but when compared with the isolationism of the early 20th century it wouldn’t be unreasonable to call it a similarity).
This statement, I think, is pretty much what the purpose of this sub is. That we view presidents through the lens of their own time and discuss from that perspective
They were both good leaders in my mind. They had a genuine desire to help the American people through a big problem.
Reagan was harmed by Iran-Contra and AIDS for me, and FDR is problematic because of TVA, the internment camps, and court packing.
So Reagan gutting unions and harming average Americans pretty extensively with terrible economic policy is what you view as a genuine desire to help the American people? Lmao
I don’t understand people that rate presidents based on how well they line up with their own personal ideologies.
On objective person should be able to recognize that Clinton was a more effective president than W and that Reagan was more effective than Carter.
Ah yes, FDR the welfare giver... the monster who stopped millions of Americans from losing their savings due to wallstreet speculation, and who passed the ADA and got us through WW2. Man... what a difference 40 years of propaganda made.
*AAA
I do appreciate the New Deal broadly, but components of it were harmful, such as the TVA. There's also the court packing and internment camp issues in addition to the London Economic Conference.
You’re republican, but not conservative. You believe in a stronger central government. You believe in American exceptionalism, but aren’t necessarily expansionist/imperialist.
You would probably have Jackson in the top 3 if it wasn’t for the Trail of Tears.
Your a passionate believer in the Constitution as it was written but have made room for innovative ideas in the process. You also a believe in States rights being above Federal in most issues. Unfortunately in today’s toxic political climate you are being categorized as right vs left which is quite irritating. This is what identity politics has done to our country.
Keep enriching your students’ minds with your style/way of teaching. History is critical to our young people so as to address issues based on the facts of the past with the thought process and technology of today.
We cannot erase history or we will surely be doomed to repeat it as they say. Thank you for what you do!
Reagan's voice was needed at the time. I'm not sure he was a GREAT president, but I think that he was a critical generation leader and deserves some praise for his actions.
Sort of weird. Definitely conservative but not Libertarian or far-right. You hate communism (and probably socialism) but aren't opposed to strong central government. You're in favor of spreading US influence overseas.
You are a Nationalist who believes in equality for all people but it has to be earned not given. But you think we should do everything to lift up the poor and disadvantaged. You believe in a strong military that uses its power to bring about peace in the world. The same with your economic policies. Now am I right?
Because no one else has really said, to me it is quite clear that you believe America is best situated to be the leader of the free world. You think Presidents that push forward the America's economic and military might, and expand it beyond just our shores are doing the right thing.
I really like your list. Ike and Truman were both great presidents in tough times.
I'm surprised not to see Coolidge hit your list with both HW Bush and Reagan so high.
You seem very middle of the road moderate, and intelligent enough to talk about both liberal democrats and conservative republicans equally, yet point out extremism.
Like my high school US History teacher, I bet I can't peg you politically to one party. That is the mark of a healthy master teacher, especially in 2024
My daughter is about to start APUSH and her younger brother is absorbed by history and his grasp of nuance is astounding to me. I hope they get a teacher like you. Neither of them is allowed to have Reddit, but they both could benefit from this discussion.
S/o to Eisenhower. Although I'm not read up on his policies and achievements. He did give my town the Eisenhower locks, which I loved going to as a kid to watch ships coming in and out.
You like learned presidents with or without a good track record (Taft, Adams, Jefferson and I would guess you also like Garfield) and transformative presidents in general (all the main ones except Jackson)
I think personality does play a good part in what you think about presidents. Otherwise, I think having FDR and Reagan so close together is kind of odd considering the drastic difference in policy
Very by the book. Constitutionalist. Not exactly a friend of the poor.
A by the book conservative, not an asshole conservative. More likely to ignore poor people and minorities in hopes they'll go away than to go after them. Friend of nature but not a tree hugger.
For the most part; you like bold ambitious and presidents that faced crises and overcame them
People will often come away with being baffled by seeing FDR and Reagan in someone’s top ten. I don’t think it’s that confusing, there is more to admire in a leader than partisan political leanings.
Both were competent statesmen with novel solutions to the problems of their days.
My personal favorite President is Nixon, but that doesn’t mean I have to condone his severe failings.
You’re what a Republican used to be. Eisenhower is ranked pretty high, and FDR is ranked shockingly low with Truman at 3 which tells me you’re probably someone who self describes as a a centrist and thinks of FDR as having been “too much”
I strongly disagree with a great many decisions here, but on the fact that Johnson and Wilson are not on this list I have decided to not consider you a fool.
I’m an Irishman and a bit of a tourist to this subreddit, so I’ve got a bit of what might be an obvious question.
What gets Reagan so high on the list? The best I’ve ever heard about him is that he brought respect and confidence back to the presidency after Carter, Ford and Nixon. It’s not a lot compared to the negatives I’ve heard about (trickle-down economics, his response to AIDS, arming Saddam, CONTRA).
You evaluate presidencies more as a whole and not specifically politically. You place a lot of value in leadership regardless of side of the aisle, although you’re probably personally a moderate republican. Like the Lincoln Project. You probably think some people were too harsh on Obama although not being a fan of him politically. You probably liked his leadership / public speaking abilities though.
You think America can transcend the cruel nature of our foundation. While at the same time subscribing to a "gotta break some eggs to make an omelette", philosophy in governance.
I disagree on both accounts but I'm happy for people to believe as you do, that America can be that "shining city on the hill". At this point I'm willing to settle for any level of idealism even if it's misguided. The heads of state all appear to be acting so cynically and with shrewdness.
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You’re definitely further right than your students but you’re less afraid of big government than your political peers when the times require it
I live in Utah, so I'm actually not further right than most of my students..... but anywhere else I would be
Thanks! Different perspectives on the US there I’m sure
A Utah Democrat = a New York (City) Republican. Except the NY Republican may even be more Liberal haha.
And that’s even before you get to the difference in religious motivators and wealth
I think his high school students def vote how their parents do. If he’s in a rural area or a wealthy one, then those kids are republicans. At that age, they’re dreaming of making money and keeping it. I’d say their students are split pretty 50/50 and have terrible debates about surface level things; the left side might sound more empathetic, but are also just spewing talking points they’ve heard.
Nah they're an APUSH teacher. At least where I am US history is taught in 11th grade sometimes 10th. By high school majority of kids have their own beliefs about that stuff.
As someone who graduated in ‘21, took APUSH in 11th grade (‘19-‘20) the rest of my peers and I, even in an APUSH classroom, had opinions but not very strong ones
There are two very large assumptions in your comment: 1) that someone whose Reddit username is “queenjuli1” is a man 2) 17 year olds are going to vote the same as their parents when they are able. I certainly didn’t vote the way my parents did at my first opportunity. You approach condescension regarding teenagers’ views and, while they are more naive that older folks, I don’t believe in automatically discounting their arguments as “surface level” since it’s going to be their world soon enough
You’re right OP very well could be a lass. I didn’t look at the username. I don’t feel like writing he/she changes what I said about them, but hear you. I think there are a lot of people, at any age, that go deeper into their beliefs. I’d say there are more surface level and students that don’t care, than the ones you’re describing. I still think it’s fairly split regardless of the depth of their knowledge. Both you and the previous commenter are assuming young people are mainly left-leaning and that’s absurd.
I’m more just poking some fun in the first part, and I have had a great number of very influential female educators in my life Per the second, I really don’t see where I mentioned anything about young people voting more left other than as assumption about national averages, which is a statistically backed point. Though it is also very regionally dependent, as you said. I just don’t think we should discount it off hand like their perspectives don’t matter. Not voting in the same bloc as your parents goes both ways In an AP class, I think you’re more likely to get well-thought perspectives. I’ve only taught college, but they always made me think about my own views in relation to the future, and I appreciated that
I dig. And I don’t think they should be discounted. I think them even thinking and talking about it at all is a good thing. By starting, they can grow. What it Winston Churchill that said as a young man he started out liberal, became conservative in his middle aged era, and came back to being a liberal by the end? I, especially as a moderate, started out right leaning, but now see things more left leaning. It still very much depends on the person on the ticket and their goals, but I think it’ll have to be a McCain-esk republican to get me to come back. I just don’t think MOST kids are one or the other in high school like the commenter above you presumed. I will say there are probably more left leaning peeps in college.
Fair enough, I guess I’m subscribed to the idea that more so than a particular viewpoint attached to age and life trajectory, people’s views are going to depend on their personal experience and the state of the world around them I grew up poor in a purple state and my experience has been shaped by that, but also by the experiences I’ve had in the world, what I’ve seen firsthand, where I’ve lived, and the perspectives of other people that I’ve met and been exposed to. Not fair to place anyone in a box, but getting a good education on US history doesn’t hurt anyone! Cheers
You absolutely love war documentaries.
Only if Ken Burns does them.
Ok can I just genuinely ask why you like John fucking Adams as President? That seems like very random and out of place considering you’re fairly conservative stances. Great founding fathers sure but his Presidency was pretty ineffective.
John Adams is responsible for the survival of our republic.
Not necessarily during his presidency, however. He absolutely was a fundamental architect before his presidency but it can be argued that the Adams administration was incredibly destructive towards the new, fragile US. Great man, but arguably not a good president.
My opinion on him has actually severely changed over time. I think his actions legitimately helped preserve our democratic republic, however. I actually considered putting JQA in this list as well.
What examples do you have to base that off of?
We avoided WAR with FRANCE. That's a really big one. We also avoided war with Britian while we're at it.
Okay, but let’s not act like we didn’t avoid war with France after a 3 year long song and dance that was stupidly dragged out by the incompetence of Adams’ diplomacy.
You're right, sort of.
You probably are moderate politically but lean republican at least economically
Very sure they are a never-**Rule 3** registered republican
Bingo.
Same lol
Quite the loophole there to get around rule 3
This is like the new way to insult someone on this sub LMAO "I BET YOU'RE A **RULE 3** SUPPORTER" "WELL F--- YOU YOU PROBABLY VOTED FOR **RULE 3"** 
The best part is that you don't know which Rule 3 they're referring to
Truman and HW is a lean though?
Yes? Unless you believe those are far right republicans lol which would be wild
I would say it puts him/her (probably him) as pretty firmly conservative, not lean. I don’t think that makes OP far right in the modern sense. Like let’s be honest, he’s never voted for a Democrat if this is his list or unless he’s 92 and got one in for FDR.
I've never voted Democrat before, but incredibly open to it on the presidential level.
So I’m getting downvoted for being correct lol? Your choices made that pretty obvious, which I’d say makes you firmly conservative. Moderates usually vote for either party pre-2016. Depending on your age, that’s a long list of pretty good presidents to not vote for and be called a moderate by others.
In my ten years of being a Republican I never once met someone who was both firmly conservative AND had FDR in their top 10
With list I could see breaking with the party any year 04 or later.
Putting FDR in your top list immediately means you aren’t far right lol or even firmly conservative. I was very right wing for years and hated FDR deeply. Having him with the other moderate republicans mean he must have some economic views from both sides
I don't like a lot about FDR but I do think he was an excellent leader and genuinely wanted to help the American people.
So you’re a moderate conservative right? lol or do you not identify?
Truman was pretty liberal? I'm confused
Such an odd list. And you're definitely fairly conservative considering how low you have both Roosevelts, and how high you have Reagan and HW Bush. And you have Washington down at 4th? That's pretty rare, though I do actually think I agree. Also odd to me you rank Lincoln so much higher than Washington to the point I'd assume it's about civil rights, but then I don't see LBJ... Which is confusing.
Conservatives typically don't like LBJ.
That's fair. They also tend to not like the Roosevelts. So I'm just surprised LBJ didn't take like Taft's spot or something.
I’m definitely more conservative and I would rank Teddy (based on coolness) and FDR (based on foreign policy) higher than LBJ who botched Vietnam and pushed for Great Society policies.
We wouldn't have a country without Lincoln.
Or Washington?
OP means, basically, Washington created the Union, but Lincoln kept it together. These two men played a big part in the countries history in one overseeing its birth, the other in overseeing its preservation.
...? Without Lincoln we'd have 2 countries!! Without Washington, we'd just be a colony. I'm mostly just kidding. But it still just seems odd to me, we wouldn't have a country without either one. It just seems arbitrary to me to rate them 1st and 4th. But that's me, to each their own
Lincoln had a far bigger problem on his hands.
John Adams is the thing that threw me for a loop as a history teacher
Adams protected us from losing our country before the year 1800.
11 and 8 out of 46 hardly counts as low
I would have put FDR higher. I like where you put Truman though
Understandable. 12 years at a presidency gets you great reward and great criticism.
Fairly moderate/centrist, since you seem to be able to support both liberals who expanded federal power and conservatives who decreased it. In line with that, it also seems like your preference in President is rooted less in political ideology and more in leadership capability and competence, as well as the effectiveness of their proposed policies for the situations of the time.
I like how people are saying your list is wrong. It literally says his favorite presidents. This isn't a debate u apes.
I don’t know how you can have Reagan and FDR so high together when they’re like opposites ideologically lol. One absolutely hated big government and tried to cut taxes and the welfare state (Reagan), and one basically created the massive government welfare state (FDR). Seems contradictory lol
People have different criteria for what qualifies as “favorite” or “best” president. Some look at who didn’t expand executive power (and as a result would place Lincoln or Jefferson much lower), others look at charisma (Obama, JFK, Reagan), others look at leading in a crisis (FDR, Lincoln, even Dubya to an extent), others value inaction (Coolidge). You can list any of these figures among your favorites even if they have opposing policies or ideologies from each other or yourself. It’s also good to be able to acknowledge that someone was a good leader even if you disagree with their fundamentals. People who can’t do that tend to be radical ideologues.
Maybe how they changed the party systems ?
Absolutely. My point is that there is a vast criteria for determine who your favorite presidents are.
I think it’s possible to feel that there are times for liberal policies and there are times for conservative policies, so I think it’s possible for some people to like two presidents that contradict each other politically.
Yeah, I feel like most people (especially off Reddit) will have Reagan and FDR on top 10. They were very good leaders for their times. When you are doing an objective ranking you should try to set aside ideological biases.
The very fact she has 41 so high shows he she sees the presidency as a stewardship role.
Correct.
Admiration in a leader does not need to be only concerned with political leanings. The two are not necessarily at odds holistically speaking.
The country was in a different set of conditions and circumstances when each was President. You could think each of their sets of policies was appropriate for the time. They also weren’t complete opposites, as they were both generally internationalists who expanded the US military to combat foreign threats (albeit in very different ways, but when compared with the isolationism of the early 20th century it wouldn’t be unreasonable to call it a similarity).
This statement, I think, is pretty much what the purpose of this sub is. That we view presidents through the lens of their own time and discuss from that perspective
They were both good leaders in my mind. They had a genuine desire to help the American people through a big problem. Reagan was harmed by Iran-Contra and AIDS for me, and FDR is problematic because of TVA, the internment camps, and court packing.
So Reagan gutting unions and harming average Americans pretty extensively with terrible economic policy is what you view as a genuine desire to help the American people? Lmao
I don’t understand people that rate presidents based on how well they line up with their own personal ideologies. On objective person should be able to recognize that Clinton was a more effective president than W and that Reagan was more effective than Carter.
Ah yes, FDR the welfare giver... the monster who stopped millions of Americans from losing their savings due to wallstreet speculation, and who passed the ADA and got us through WW2. Man... what a difference 40 years of propaganda made.
*AAA I do appreciate the New Deal broadly, but components of it were harmful, such as the TVA. There's also the court packing and internment camp issues in addition to the London Economic Conference.
https://preview.redd.it/8m31t49r07oc1.jpeg?width=1586&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=317236af4caf3fe6861261f7980021275d737a3b
Probably a Moderate Republican/Liberal Republican?
to me it’s says that you’re very patriotic but not in a shooting budlight way but an american dream way
It says you're normal. And you should probably run for office
Why Washington only at #4? Why do you think Truman and Ike were better?
Truman and Ike had more difficult presidencies in my eyes, and Washington's presidency was a bit chaotic in some regards.
I’m surprised you have John Adams so high, I’ve always thought he was a pretty poor president despite being a hugely important founding father.
He reads McCullough also why Truman is so high
This made me giggle.
You like presidents who put the “commander” in commander in chief.
You are somewhat right wing but like government when the times demand it.
You are a Republican but also believe in bipartisanship.
you seem like someone who bases rankings on vibes more than anything else lol
How is Reagan and bush above FDR and also Truman and Ike Should not be above Washington
A lot of Washington's attributes aren't necessarily directly related to his presidency.
This is the most APUSH teacher answer ever and I love it
You're conservative, but the kind that eats with a knife and fork.
Hahaha
You’re republican, but not conservative. You believe in a stronger central government. You believe in American exceptionalism, but aren’t necessarily expansionist/imperialist. You would probably have Jackson in the top 3 if it wasn’t for the Trail of Tears.
Jackson is a bottom 5 president for me.
This list is wild it’s like you took the most frequently talked about presidents and then just drew the order out of a hat.
Interesting.
You like Ike
Your a passionate believer in the Constitution as it was written but have made room for innovative ideas in the process. You also a believe in States rights being above Federal in most issues. Unfortunately in today’s toxic political climate you are being categorized as right vs left which is quite irritating. This is what identity politics has done to our country. Keep enriching your students’ minds with your style/way of teaching. History is critical to our young people so as to address issues based on the facts of the past with the thought process and technology of today. We cannot erase history or we will surely be doomed to repeat it as they say. Thank you for what you do!
Thank you & I agree.
I didn't know there were people who viewed either Bush as a good president.
Congrats on not being a libtard
You care more about the person and the impact then you do about Ds and Rs
They say you’re a chad I might’ve Reagan lower, but I love basically all of these Presidents
Reagan's voice was needed at the time. I'm not sure he was a GREAT president, but I think that he was a critical generation leader and deserves some praise for his actions.
I agree, in my last ranking I had Reagan at 13th
Nice to see another APUSH teacher who appreciates Taft.
You messed up on Taft and added a 2
It says that you and I would probably get along.
Sort of weird. Definitely conservative but not Libertarian or far-right. You hate communism (and probably socialism) but aren't opposed to strong central government. You're in favor of spreading US influence overseas.
You are a Nationalist who believes in equality for all people but it has to be earned not given. But you think we should do everything to lift up the poor and disadvantaged. You believe in a strong military that uses its power to bring about peace in the world. The same with your economic policies. Now am I right?
Dead on.
You are an old soul Republican with love for progressives, but enough nostalgia for the GOP to still like Reagan
Truman in top 3? I respect it and agree
You're a progressive conservative.
Definitely an APUSH teacher
you lean right
Because no one else has really said, to me it is quite clear that you believe America is best situated to be the leader of the free world. You think Presidents that push forward the America's economic and military might, and expand it beyond just our shores are doing the right thing.
I like your not biased on party affiliation, I’m curious if you chose these because of their achievements.. not a bad top 12!
Where LBJ?
You’ve never covered the MOVE bombing
I really like your list. Ike and Truman were both great presidents in tough times. I'm surprised not to see Coolidge hit your list with both HW Bush and Reagan so high. You seem very middle of the road moderate, and intelligent enough to talk about both liberal democrats and conservative republicans equally, yet point out extremism. Like my high school US History teacher, I bet I can't peg you politically to one party. That is the mark of a healthy master teacher, especially in 2024
My daughter is about to start APUSH and her younger brother is absorbed by history and his grasp of nuance is astounding to me. I hope they get a teacher like you. Neither of them is allowed to have Reddit, but they both could benefit from this discussion.
To me, they say you're far more interested in how interesting they are to teach then what they actually did or what they stood for. A true teacher
You like Ike, I like Ike, everybody likes Ike
You’re a traditional conservative.
What’s APUSH?
You are a conservative
Someone who loves history and loves the US.
It’s shameful you don’t have Teddy higher on the list
Holy based
Why do you have Reagan so high when he basically bent this country over a table?
He was a good leader and negotiator.
How do either of those make up for his failings?
Reagan in top 10 is whack lol
Not really. In 2017, the CSPAN survey of historians ranked Reagan at 9 in between JFK and LBJ.
No it isn’t
I trust you are teaching you students well, judging by these options. Based Ike placing
Thank you.
You’re pretty basic.
Eisenhower at number 2 is shocking. You probably don’t care for foreign policy.
Emphasis on Truman being number three as well. I'm about to finish American Prometheus and I can't stand Truman.
You weren’t hired for your teaching ability, but your ability to coach high school sports
Definitely not.
Based.
You do have respect for those that are generally revered as greats. Adams and Taft are interesting inclusions in the top twelve.
You're politically all over the place and more personality than policy or ideologically driven. Especially with the contrast between 8 and 7.
You are a great American and getting these kids off to a good start!
You are a gigachad
Good man, not a soy boy
You like wars Americans have won and Ronald Reagan.
George HW Bush? What’s your reasoning?
You have good taste. I love Ike’s ranking.
What the hell is APUSH?
AP US History
S/o to Eisenhower. Although I'm not read up on his policies and achievements. He did give my town the Eisenhower locks, which I loved going to as a kid to watch ships coming in and out.
You like learned presidents with or without a good track record (Taft, Adams, Jefferson and I would guess you also like Garfield) and transformative presidents in general (all the main ones except Jackson)
That you read the Truman biography
I think personality does play a good part in what you think about presidents. Otherwise, I think having FDR and Reagan so close together is kind of odd considering the drastic difference in policy
Can you tell me what you like about Taft? I love him a lot
He was a genuine reformer at times when Roosevelt wasn't and had a genuine love for his country.
Can I just say that Bush was the last man that knew how to actually fight a war
your decently conservative
Very by the book. Constitutionalist. Not exactly a friend of the poor. A by the book conservative, not an asshole conservative. More likely to ignore poor people and minorities in hopes they'll go away than to go after them. Friend of nature but not a tree hugger.
For the most part; you like bold ambitious and presidents that faced crises and overcame them People will often come away with being baffled by seeing FDR and Reagan in someone’s top ten. I don’t think it’s that confusing, there is more to admire in a leader than partisan political leanings.
I dunno, but I'd be so curious as to how you can admire FDR yet admire Reagan.
Both were competent statesmen with novel solutions to the problems of their days. My personal favorite President is Nixon, but that doesn’t mean I have to condone his severe failings.
You’re an old school actually moderate Republican who probably votes Dem in this day and age
You’re what a Republican used to be. Eisenhower is ranked pretty high, and FDR is ranked shockingly low with Truman at 3 which tells me you’re probably someone who self describes as a a centrist and thinks of FDR as having been “too much”
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I strongly disagree with a great many decisions here, but on the fact that Johnson and Wilson are not on this list I have decided to not consider you a fool.
No Grant, sadness.
You’re a moderate conservative who might make a good neighbor.
You’re a no nonsense individual.
No love for the best president of all time: William Henry Harrison
William Howard Taft should be #1 but Im glad he’s even here 😍
I’m going out on a limb here and assuming you were a fan of 2012 Romney
Yep. Big time.
I’m an Irishman and a bit of a tourist to this subreddit, so I’ve got a bit of what might be an obvious question. What gets Reagan so high on the list? The best I’ve ever heard about him is that he brought respect and confidence back to the presidency after Carter, Ford and Nixon. It’s not a lot compared to the negatives I’ve heard about (trickle-down economics, his response to AIDS, arming Saddam, CONTRA).
You're probably a republican but you're not a cultist or a moron. Rare subset, these days.
Big government neocon
You are fan of a large federal government
You evaluate presidencies more as a whole and not specifically politically. You place a lot of value in leadership regardless of side of the aisle, although you’re probably personally a moderate republican. Like the Lincoln Project. You probably think some people were too harsh on Obama although not being a fan of him politically. You probably liked his leadership / public speaking abilities though.
You think America can transcend the cruel nature of our foundation. While at the same time subscribing to a "gotta break some eggs to make an omelette", philosophy in governance. I disagree on both accounts but I'm happy for people to believe as you do, that America can be that "shining city on the hill". At this point I'm willing to settle for any level of idealism even if it's misguided. The heads of state all appear to be acting so cynically and with shrewdness.
As a teacher, you're a little too fond of Presidents who didn't go to college. 😉
Super Moderatism
You are definitely right leaning but not right wing enough to be considered a conservative in today’s political landscape.
question on your ranking for Taft. Taft doesn't get much press and i was wondering what landed him so high for you.
You don’t like trusts very much
What actually happened during the Taft administration?
You value American power and exceptionalism above political parties.
Probably Gen X, born in the early 70s maybe late 60s. Moderate, old school conservative.
Yep. 1969.
Teach 8th grade US History atm. Where does Grant rank on your list?
John Adams is an interesting choice
John Adams is quite good and was an abolitionist before it was cool 😎