The Top Five U. S. Presidents

Deciding on who the top ten Presidents are is certainly no easy task. Each of the U.S presidents of this country served their nation as best as they could. Each president was presented with different tasks and challenges depending on which time period and social condition they found themselves serving as president under.

The easiest President to choose as one of the top five Presidents is George Washington. As the first President of the United States, George Washington served from 1789-1797. Washington was one of the most significant contributors to the formation of our Constitution, and he remains as the only U.S. President to ever be voted for President unanimously by the people, not once, but for both of his terms. Although the people wanted Washington to serve another term in 1797, he refused, relinquishing the post and passing the torch to the next President. This special man's faith, patriotic beliefs and his valiant actions formed the very foundation of one of the greatest democratic nations on earth.

Abraham Lincoln, the President recognized by the stunning Lincoln Memorial, was president from 1861-1865. President Lincoln served during one of the most difficult times in our country - the Civil War. Lincoln's stance against the decision of Southern States to attempt to break from the union and his willingness to use force ended up maintaining the Union and keeping the country whole. History would show that, almost as significantly, his strong hand also ended slavery and helped free countless slaves from the clutches of a terrible fate in the South. One of the most famous and moving speeches of our Nation was Lincoln's Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA in 1863.

President Roosevelt was yet another President who led a troubled nation battling against an evil enemy during World War II. He served as president from 1933-1945, and he also helped carry the nation through to the end of the Great Depression in 1933. Roosevelt created the "New Deal," which served as a catalyst to pull the country out of its deep Depression. He also created the Social Security Act, which continues to offer all Americans peace of mind as they enter their older years and leave the workforce for retirement. Roosevelt's leadership came out clearly during each of these difficult periods for the country, and in the end it was his leadership that helped make the nation much more secure in the long run.

President Harry Truman was another wartime president that proved his worth in handling the end of WWII and its aftermath. He was president from 1945 through 1953. He made the difficult decision to order the atomic bombings against Japan at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As the United States left WWII and entered into the Cold War, President Truman's leadership set the Nation on a strong and positive course into the future.

Woodrow Wilson, another wartime president, saw the United States through World War I. He served as president from 1913 through 1921. America was successful in WWI thanks to his skillful leadership and diplomacy, and his part in the Treaty of Versailles which ended the First World War Additionally he greatly improved the nation through the Federal Reserve Act, the Federal Trace Commission Act, and the Clayton Antitrust Act. As a testament to his life, Woodrow Wilson won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1919.

This list only includes five of the country's great presidents - there were surely many more men who proved themselves in the highest office of the nation. But these five are perfect examples of the type of person the people of this nation look for when they consider candidates for the United States Presidency. They are certainly very big shoes to fill.

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