1. Before doing any research, I predict the three most highly ranked presidents in US history will be Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Theodore Roosevelt and the worst might be Richard Nixon
2. Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Theodore Roosevelt have all been consistently identified as among the top four presidents.
Theodore Roosevelt has always been in 4th position and Dwight D. Eisenhower was in 5th position in 2017. Harry S. Truman was in 5th position in 2009 and 2000.
3. Over the years the top four presidents, that I listed above, have been constant head leaders, but below that, the president has had a change in ranking at least once, with exceptions to Thomas Jefferson William Howard Taft, and Barack Obama, as it does not apply to him.
I found it interesting how overall, for the majority of presidents, they decreased in their rankings.
The top ten Presidents have stayed pretty constant, with shifts in the bottom three positions each year interval.
4. The professions of the survey participants show their credibility, usually indicating their College of Univerity and or profession such as "Historian and Author," Lawyer, Journalist, or Biographer. If C-SPAN did not include this information I woul have questions on who these people are and if this source is reliable. Many of these people come from well-known universities and Colleges and or their occupations indicate to the reader that they are educated in a particular field that is important in making these sources credible.
5. The Servey ranked each president based on ten qualities: "Public Persuasion," "Crisis Leadership," "Economic Management," "Moral Authority," "International Relations," "Administrative Skills," "Relations with Congress," "Vision/Setting An Agenda," "Pursued Equal Justice for All," and "Performance Within the Context of His Times" (C-SPAN).
6. No, C-CPAN did not weigh any categories more than others, they say, "Each of the ten categories was given equal weighting in arriving at a president's total score" (C-SPAN).
7. I would have Crisis Leadership, Economic Management, Administrative Skills as my top three categories. I would weight Crisis Leadership because "crisis" situations are very important to the country and how we respond to them can change the world drastically. Making a decision about a crisis is very difficult because time is always moving and the leader of the county must make a major choice that will most likely affect the future. Economic Management is important to consider because the economy plays a large part in how the county physically functions and relationships with other countries. I also chose Administrative Skills because they are important to consider how a person may respond to situations under pressure and how he collaborates with others because the government will not function with only one person running it. It takes a team to succeed.
8. I knew Abraham Lincoln would be one of the first, if not the first, president on the list. John F. Kennedy was one of the top 15 presidents. I chose John F Kennedy because my previous project was focused around him so I felt like I knew more about him than many of the other presidents. even though John F Kennedy's time in office was cut short, he was still able to make an impact and because of his short time in office, I knew that he might not be in the top ten presidents. I feel like I was pretty uneducated about some of the "worst" presidents that have happened and therefore I listed Richard Nixon as one that might be at the bottom of the list. He came in at 24th place, as of 2017, and the only information I had off the top of my head was his association with the Watergate Scandal.
Part B
10. "On March 16 we celebrate the anniversary of James Madison's birthday. Madison, traditionally viewed as the Father of the United States Constitution, is also seen by many as a defender of open government. He once wrote, "[a] popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps, both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."1
In a similar vein, he asserted that "the advancement and diffusion of knowledge" is "the only Guardian of true liberty" ("Celebrating James Madison and the Freedom of Information Act").
Paraphrased: James Madison will be celebrated on March 16. He has been known for his "support of open government" and being the "Father of the United States Constitution." James once wrote a comment on his views of knowledge and how one must embody the truth, which some might mind difficult to consume. He states that a government that doe not have popular opinions might not be taken seriously by all people. James relates a Government like this to a "Farce and Tragedy." He states that one must essentially keep their head high even if others do not agree. He says that the learning of facts and the breaking apart of information is the only "boundary between true freedom."
11. " . . . [K]nowledge of our own history is essential in the making of Americans. The reasons for this belief may be summed up under four main heads. History makes loyal citizens because memories of common experiences and common aspirations are essential ingredients in patriotism. History makes intelligent voters because sound decisions about present problems must be based on knowledge of the past. History makes good neighbors because it teaches tolerance of individual differences and appreciation of varied abilities and interests. History makes stable, well-rounded individuals because it gives them a start toward understanding the pattern of society and toward enjoying the artistic and intellectual productions of the past. It gives long views, a perspective, a measure of what is permanent in a nation’s life" (American History Association).
Both of the excerpts state facts that are important in the creation of finding the "real" truths. the excerpt from the AHA states that we must learn from our past in order to create a better future for all. It states without the past, essentially there would not be a "today" because though the experiences our history holds, we are able to make better decisions about tomorrow. This excerpt showed me how crucial it is to know history because facts and fiction can easily get mixed up and it may be hard to know what is real, but as long as we know, as citizens, the truths of history, it will make us and everyone a little more sure about the facts because we are educated.
James Maddison's quote explains how the facts are more important than pleasing the audience. His quote ties in with the American History Association's statements because having the facts from the present will eventually create the past. We rely on the past to create the present and future. Time flows together and having the true facts will determine what citizens will eventually become. I agree with what both of these quotes stated and I never really considered why history is so essential to my daily life and what decisions I will have to make. I will soon be voting for president and it will be important for me to know information about the candidates when I finally decide on who I will vote for.
Part C
11. This year I have not only expanded my knowledge events throughout history, but also what it means to "be a historian" and have empathy. This year I had to think outside of the box and think in new ways, for example, when we were given the choice to expand our knowledge about our trip to Montgomery, I chose to design a monument/memorial to honor the Freedom Riders. This was a fun way in which I was able to use creative skills in making purposeful decisions. I had to use prior knowledge and research to make a monument/memorial that would have an impact on society. Through my film project, I had to find reliable sources in order to evaluate the accuracy of the film. My film, Jackie, was interesting to research because she was such a public figure that was seen not only as a first lady but also as a celebrity. I found many articles that were similar to articles you may find in People Magazine. This made my research interesting because I had to sift through what may be fact and fiction.
12. I am most proud of the invitation. I wanted to create a theme that was not obvious, that is why I chose the theme of "Grace and Resilience: A Celebration of Wisdom through Experience." The party was to honor Jackie and all strong women that helped influence the world. I decided to invite Nancy Reagan and Michelle Obama because they became future strong women and I thought that it would be interesting for Jackie to interact with women who had similar views.
13. I think that Ella Jane always does outstanding work and always found her blog posts very informative and interesting. I noticed that Ella Jane did the same design challenge as me and it was interesting to see how she designed her memorial. We different approaches to the challenge but they were also very similar in some ways, for example, we both used the iconic bus to commemorate the Freedom Riders. I found it interesting how she decided to add a water aspect to her memorial which created a reflective surface telling the viewer to reflect. She was very deliberate about her choices and described the events clearly.
Ella Jane US History: Remembering Freedom Riders
14. I chose a quote from Abraham Lincoln that states, "I am not concerned that you have fallen; I am concerned that you arise" (Abraham Lincoln). According to Lincoln Archives, Inc., Lincoln said this quote in a Speech in Washington D.C back in 1865. I feel like this quote showed the importance of "rising back up" and not letting things knock you down. It is hard not to focus on the negative things in life, but it is important to try your best to block out the people in your life that might hurt you. I feel like this quote also speaks to the country as well. Many times the country might fail but we can rebuild and become stronger because of the things that may tear us down.
11. " . . . [K]nowledge of our own history is essential in the making of Americans. The reasons for this belief may be summed up under four main heads. History makes loyal citizens because memories of common experiences and common aspirations are essential ingredients in patriotism. History makes intelligent voters because sound decisions about present problems must be based on knowledge of the past. History makes good neighbors because it teaches tolerance of individual differences and appreciation of varied abilities and interests. History makes stable, well-rounded individuals because it gives them a start toward understanding the pattern of society and toward enjoying the artistic and intellectual productions of the past. It gives long views, a perspective, a measure of what is permanent in a nation’s life" (American History Association).
Both of the excerpts state facts that are important in the creation of finding the "real" truths. the excerpt from the AHA states that we must learn from our past in order to create a better future for all. It states without the past, essentially there would not be a "today" because though the experiences our history holds, we are able to make better decisions about tomorrow. This excerpt showed me how crucial it is to know history because facts and fiction can easily get mixed up and it may be hard to know what is real, but as long as we know, as citizens, the truths of history, it will make us and everyone a little more sure about the facts because we are educated.
James Maddison's quote explains how the facts are more important than pleasing the audience. His quote ties in with the American History Association's statements because having the facts from the present will eventually create the past. We rely on the past to create the present and future. Time flows together and having the true facts will determine what citizens will eventually become. I agree with what both of these quotes stated and I never really considered why history is so essential to my daily life and what decisions I will have to make. I will soon be voting for president and it will be important for me to know information about the candidates when I finally decide on who I will vote for.
Part C
11. This year I have not only expanded my knowledge events throughout history, but also what it means to "be a historian" and have empathy. This year I had to think outside of the box and think in new ways, for example, when we were given the choice to expand our knowledge about our trip to Montgomery, I chose to design a monument/memorial to honor the Freedom Riders. This was a fun way in which I was able to use creative skills in making purposeful decisions. I had to use prior knowledge and research to make a monument/memorial that would have an impact on society. Through my film project, I had to find reliable sources in order to evaluate the accuracy of the film. My film, Jackie, was interesting to research because she was such a public figure that was seen not only as a first lady but also as a celebrity. I found many articles that were similar to articles you may find in People Magazine. This made my research interesting because I had to sift through what may be fact and fiction.
12. I am most proud of the invitation. I wanted to create a theme that was not obvious, that is why I chose the theme of "Grace and Resilience: A Celebration of Wisdom through Experience." The party was to honor Jackie and all strong women that helped influence the world. I decided to invite Nancy Reagan and Michelle Obama because they became future strong women and I thought that it would be interesting for Jackie to interact with women who had similar views.
13. I think that Ella Jane always does outstanding work and always found her blog posts very informative and interesting. I noticed that Ella Jane did the same design challenge as me and it was interesting to see how she designed her memorial. We different approaches to the challenge but they were also very similar in some ways, for example, we both used the iconic bus to commemorate the Freedom Riders. I found it interesting how she decided to add a water aspect to her memorial which created a reflective surface telling the viewer to reflect. She was very deliberate about her choices and described the events clearly.
Ella Jane US History: Remembering Freedom Riders
14. I chose a quote from Abraham Lincoln that states, "I am not concerned that you have fallen; I am concerned that you arise" (Abraham Lincoln). According to Lincoln Archives, Inc., Lincoln said this quote in a Speech in Washington D.C back in 1865. I feel like this quote showed the importance of "rising back up" and not letting things knock you down. It is hard not to focus on the negative things in life, but it is important to try your best to block out the people in your life that might hurt you. I feel like this quote also speaks to the country as well. Many times the country might fail but we can rebuild and become stronger because of the things that may tear us down.
Mini-exhibit
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This is a picture of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964. This was a law that “ intended to end discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin” (Britannica). Although it received major backlash at the time, it changed America for the better and was the pinnacle of the Civil Rights Movement.
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| Abraham Lincoln was an outstanding president that fought for the rights of all the American people. He was a strong leader and was the start of creating less segregation. The seed that Abraham Lincoln planted in history continues to grow and will always be an important part of history. |
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| This is a picture of a flyer form the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Between 1870-1920, Women’s suffrage became a prominent topic of discussion. Women were demanding to have their voices heard. Although gaining the right to vote was a major goal for women, some also fought for “non-discrimination against women regarding pay and employment and easier divorces” (Washington State University). |
