Sense of History
When a President has a sense of history they are able to create a new context and comfort for the American people. They are forced to deal with unanticipated problems and must make the correct decisions during these momentous changes. The United States' Presidents have a strong sense that something is bound to change, and they must be the ones to start it.
1. President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson overcame southern resistance and convinced the Democratic-Controlled Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 during his presidency. Johnson knew this was the rights decision for the future of America, so, after Kennedy’s death he too the initiative in finishing what Kennedy started and broke a filibuster by Southern Democrats. This pushed for the passage of the bill in the Senate. Later on Johnson also achieved passage of a second civil rights bill, the Voting Rights Act, which outlawed discrimination in voting. This allowed millions of southern blacks to vote for the first time. Lyndon Johnson was the first President to arrest and prosecute members of the Ku Klux Klan in about one hundred years as well. His ambitious character allowed for a great change in American history.
2. President Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was an intelligent and important President to the United States. Instead of being a great speaker, he had the gift of writing. So, as the “silent member,” he drafted the Declaration of Independence making him the principle author. This is the most important piece that he contributed to the United States of America; he helped to define the powers of the government itself. Jefferson’s major achievement as a politician is this profound document. His preamble is an enduring statement of human rights. The words Jefferson wrote have come to represent the moral standards to which the United States should strive.
3. President George Washington
President George Washington was the first United States president to set the standard that a President should not merely preside but rather must use his unique standing, no matter the costs, to conduce Congress and the American people to accept unpopular notions that may be in their long-term interest. He was a brave pioneer who set the path for future presidents. As the first president of the United States of America, Washington established and conducted many of the traditions that still exist today.
4. President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy was able to defend the United States from Cuba because of his readings and knowledge. Before this crisis he had read The Guns of August, a book about how Europe slid into World War I largely by accident. This helped him make the decision to use a naval quarantine against Cuba. The Cuban Missile Crisis is the closest our country had and has ever been to a nuclear war, but JFK made a wise decision. He did not want a nuclear war due to false signal, and he also did not want the United States in constant panic. Kennedy was the one to help improve America’s image and willpower, and increase the United States President’s credibility.
5. President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln keenly knew that the issue of civil rights within the United States had to change. Americans had to start treating one another equal as soon as possible. Human beings were not supposed to be treated like objects; they are not items for others to control. He took the risky steps to abolishing slavery that included the Emancipation Proclamation, and pushing the Thirteenth Amendment on the Congress. Lincoln’s efforts finally freed all slaves nationwide in December 1865.