Who is the greatest ever American?

[Obev]

twenty-sixth President of the United States, a Governor of New York and a professional historian, naturalist, explorer, hunter, author, and soldier

Don't forget, in addition to that, submariner, judo black belt, Sherrif, Police Commissioner of New York and motherfucking Nobel Laureate. Guy was baddass to the power of badass.

[Dimmauk]

What about this guy?

http://www.webwards.net/wp-content/u...facts_foto.jpg



Please dont ban me for that.

[tyven]

MLK or FDR

[Mizango]

Disappointed that it took 3 pages for Chuck Norris to appear.

[Deejay]

I want to know what Deejay thinks, not 305 million anonymous sources


And fuck you to those people just posting names, I'm not looking shit up, I wanted a conversation not a list of search terms.

My choice (Martin Luther King Jr.) couldn't be any more boring, predictable, or obvious.

Dude is the embodiment of what religion should bring to people. A way to cope and come together in times of hardship, and look for the good before the bad in one another.

People love to throw around the word "courage" so much that it's all but lost it's meaning. However, I don't think many people have had the courage to do or say the things MLK did, at the height of a civil revolution.

[noblemountain]

this.

[Dimmauk]

this.

Plus this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGuhZvO1DKg

[ZarakiKujata]

And fuck you to those people just posting names, I'm not looking shit up, I wanted a conversation not a list of search terms.

Andrew Jackson as president gave all white men no matter how rich they were got the right to vote, a positive step towards everyone getting the vote, he held the country together the first time states rights/slavery bickering happened, putting off the civil war for 30 years, only president ever to be a real fiscal conservative with a balanced budget and closest America has ever come to paying off the national debt. Also took on the original nationalized banking system because he saw it as a corrupting influence that weakened the country. Lastly, an amazing General that got the US Florida with minimal military effort, and decimated a larger British force during the War of 1812 that suffered 2,000 casualties while he only lost about 70, restoring a lot of national morale after the pretty damaging war where the US almost lost everything.

Bottom line, imo for better or worse America wouldn't be what it is today if not for a lot of things that were set in motion during his Presidency, theres a reason hes the guy on the 20 dollar bill :D

[Beckwin]

I fucking hate Beckwin.

TO EXPAND UPON THE ENTRIES OF MY LIST...

Eugene Debs- Labor leader, 2-time presidential candidate for the socialist party, founder of the IWW, brilliant orator. Early on he found himself striking the railroad he worked for, and then in prison for it developed as a labor leader and socialist.

"Your Honor, years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth. I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free."- Eugene V. Debs, on trial for sedition.

MLK- Shue, if you don't know about this man, I can't help you. I picked him because of his amazing oratory and compassion. Honestly the civil rights struggle is probably the greatest moment/movement in American history.

Woody Guthrie- Folk musician. Incredibly important figure in American and traditional folk music. He wrote "This land is your land" and on his guitar he wrote "This Machine Kills Fascists." bad. fucking. ass. leftist politically. The forefather of Bob Dylan.

Jackson Pollock- solidified America's position as leader/hot spot in the art world with homegrown talent. absolutely brilliant artist who shattered all kinds of preconceived notions, while being a uniquely American anti-hero: quiet, gruff kind of blue-collar guy with an alcohol problem, who came to the forefront of the international art world.

Ernest Hemingway- along with Twain, really defined American prose, I think. Hemingway is among the first names associated with the "anti-hero" concept, and he sort of lived that life himself. But yeah, Old Man and the Sea, A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls- Hemingway put the modern American out into the world. He and his stories embodies the rugged individual who was at the same time thoughtful and troubled.

Mark Twain- already elaborated on by others, but yeah did a lot to really define American prose, like Hemingway after him. Wrote socially conscious work that captured American life and times.

Mother Jones- Labor leader, community organizer, and early feminist, older than Debs but they were contemporaries. She worked blue-collar jobs while organizing until she was oooooold.

[Beckwin]

oh, and Andrew Jackson killed way to many Native Americans to be mentioned, not to mention redistributed their land in a way that favored his cronies. Kind of a dick as well. Teddy gets a similar reaction from me for his racism/imperialism, but Jackson makes him look like a saint.

[tyven]

how about william sherman, this dude was not to be fucked with.

[Shuemue]

Beckwin is forgiven

And yeah you didn't need to really elaborate on MLK, he doesn't just figure in greatest American ever, he's a contender for greatest ever human imo

[Raytheon]

Obviously:


http://cache.thephoenix.com/secure/u..._stevensTu.jpg


Work sucks, just copy and paste in the browser......

[Elvis]

Holy fucking shit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJOBE2DcOHM&NR=1

Hicks commentary on Rick Roll @ 1:50

A true prophet.

[Shuemue]

Obviously:


http://cache.thephoenix.com/secure/u..._stevensTu.jpg


Work sucks, just copy and paste in the browser......

He's English you dumbass

[Darus Grey]

Tesla, I can't imagine anyone else who has made as big an impact on the American way of life.

[Dimmauk]

Matt Lauer did a show in 2005 on this subject.

In the finale the top 5 "Greatest Americans" were announced as well as what percentage of the votes each had received. Votes were taken through a toll free (if calling from a land line) phone number, through text messages from cell phones, and through online voting. Voters were allowed to vote three times per voting method, so anyone had a chance of voting at least nine times. The three states with the most votes being received were California, Texas, and Florida (ranked 1st, 2nd, and 4th in population).

1. Ronald Reagan - 24%
2. Abraham Lincoln - 23.5%
3. Martin Luther King, Jr. - 19.7%
4. George Washington - 17.7%
5. Benjamin Franklin - 14.9%
6. George W. Bush
7. Bill Clinton
8. Elvis Presley
9. Oprah Winfrey
10. Franklin D. Roosevelt
11. Billy Graham
12. Thomas Jefferson
13. Walt Disney
14. Albert Einstein
15. Thomas Alva Edison
16. John F. Kennedy
17. Bob Hope
18. Bill Gates
19. Eleanor Roosevelt
20. Lance Armstrong
21. Muhammad Ali
22. Rosa Parks
23. The Wright Brothers
24. Henry Ford
25. Neil Armstrong

The fact that George W. Bush is 6th makes this list null and void.

[SwampdonkeyPLD]

I'ma go with GW. Here's why:

Spoiler: show

No one likes war. War is a horrific affair, bloody and expensive.
Sending our men and women into battle to perhaps die or be maimed is an
unconscionable thought.

Yet some wars need to be waged, and someone needs to lead. The
citizenry and Congress are often ambivalent or largely opposed to any
given war.
It's up to our leader to convince them. That's why we call the leader
"Commander in Chief."

George W.'s war was no different. There was lots of resistance to it.
Many in Congress were vehemently against the idea. The Commander in
Chief had to lobby for legislative approval.

Along with supporters, George W. used the force of his convictions, the
power of his title and every ounce of moral suasion he could muster to
rally support. He had to assure Congress and the public that the war
was morally justified, winnable and affordable. Congress eventually
came around and voted overwhelmingly to wage war.

George W. then lobbied foreign governments for support. But in the end,
only one European nation helped us. The rest of the world sat on its
hands and watched.

After a few quick victories, things started to go bad. There were many
dark days when all the news was discouraging. Casualties began to
mount.
It became obvious that our forces were too small. Congress began to
drag its feet about funding the effort.

Many who had voted to support the war just a few years earlier were
beginning to speak against it and accuse the Commander in Chief of
misleading them. Many critics began to call him incompetent, an idiot
and even a liar. Journalists joined the negative chorus with a
vengeance.

As the war entered its fourth year, the public began to grow weary of
the conflict and the casualties. George W.'s popularity plummeted. Yet
through it all, he stood firm, supporting the troops and endorsing the
struggle.

Without his unwavering support, the war would have surely ended, then
and there, in overwhelming and total defeat.

At this darkest of times, he began to make some changes. More troops
were added and trained. Some advisers were shuffled, and new generals
installed.

Then, unexpectedly and gradually, things began to improve. Now it was
the enemy that appeared to be growing weary of the lengthy conflict and
losing support. Victories began to come, and hope returned.

Many critics in Congress and the press said the improvements were just
George W.'s good luck. The progress, they said, would be temporary. He
knew, however, that in warfare good fortune counts.

Then, in the unlikeliest of circumstances and perhaps the most historic
example of military luck, the enemy blundered and was resoundingly
defeated. After six long years of war, the Commander in Chief basked in
a most hard-fought victory.

So on that historic day, Oct. 19, 1781, in a place called Yorktown, a
satisfied George Washington sat upon his beautiful white horse and
accepted the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, effectively ending the
Revolutionary War.

j/k, but to add something to the thread, Thomas Jefferson.

Edit: I just realized that article won't make any sense.

[Beckwin]

the fact that Reagan ranked first voided it already

[OzzofAsura]

The people who voted for George W. Bush probably couldn't name another American.. Yea, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.