PART A
1. Before doing any research, I predict the three most highly ranked presidents in U.S. History (best) will be Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Andrew Jackson, and the worst might be Nixon, Ford, and Andrew Johnson.
2. The presidents that have been identified as among the top four presidents are Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. The presidents that go back and forth between the 4th and 5th spots are Theodore Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
3. An observation I made about the data is that the top roughly seven people on the list are all from over fifty years ago. This is interesting to see because in 50 years we have had a lot of presidents, but none of them managed to make it into the top seven. Ronald Reagan manages to make eighth, and Obama ranks twelfth, but current presidents are not standing grounds against ones from half a century ago. Another interesting observation I took is how they started voting on the presidential rankings during Trumps presidency. They do not mention him (which is understandable considering he is still in presidency), but it is odd to see them vote on this almost a year after the last president grew out of office. The last thing I noticed is that only 43 presidents are ranked. Trump is the 45th president, and Obama was the 44th, so one name was either taken off the list or forgotten. This is interesting that someones name is not on the list for some reason, or that it was forgotten. I believe there was some sort of error where somebody was not placed on the rankings.
4. All of the participants are either from very highly educated schools, or are historians, writers, and lawyers. C-SPAN includes this information because it shows that highly educated people with the proper occupation are judging the information for their website. If they had not included it I would have wondered why we could not know who voted. I would also wonder who the people who did vote were, and if they were sources based on popularity, or factual information. If all of the sources had come from the University of Alabama I would have been doubtful, but because C-SPAN put together such a diverse, yet well educated group of individuals it is much more credible. Different states and different people have different political opinions, but by broadening the pool of people to all locations it makes it much less bias and a lot more credible.
5. The ten categories are as follows:
- Public Persuasion
- Crisis Leadership
- Economic Management
- Moral Authority
- International Relations
- Administrative Skills
- Relations with Congress
- Vision/Setting an Agenda
- Pursued Equal Justice for All
- Performance Within Context of Times
6. C-SPAN did not weigh some of the categories more than others. According to C-SPAN (https://www.c-span.org/presidentsurvey2017/?page=gallery), "Gallery of Insights" the process was as followed; there are ten categories and each president is ranked in that category. At the end all of the categories are averages and the ones with the highest of all scores combined remain at the top. In this image you can see that because Abraham Lincoln scored so highly in all categories he maintained a high placement. No section of this was weighed higher than another.
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| Abraham Lincoln Rankings: C-SPAN |
7. The categories that would be my top three would be Economic Management, International Relations, and Relations with Congress. I would choose these three because I am personally all about economics. I believe if the state is running well and we all are in a safe place in the U.S. life will be good. With economic management, international relations, and relations with congress there will be no inner or outer feuding in the U.S., and our economics will be in check helping us maintain a stable country. I am not one to advocate for a president who's largest aspect is equal justice or public persuasion because there are more important things, to me, to deal with. I believe that even if we have a world where everyone is equal and everything is allowed, it will not matter if our country is running itself to the ground or in war.
8. My initial predictions for the top were fairly accurate as I was right about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, but I was wrong about Andrew Jackson. I believe everyone knows that Abraham Lincoln and George Washington are the top two, but past that point it is very opinion based. If you prefer someone who worked on economics versus if you prefer someone who worked on justice, but Washington and Lincoln fought for all which is what makes them such obvious candidates. I was right with Andrew Johnson on the worst, but wrong with Nixon and Ford. Personally, I do not know a lot about the worst presidents because nobody really talks about them, so I gave it my best shot.
PART B
"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."
-The United States Department of Justice (https://www.justice.gov/oip/blog/foia-post-2008-celebrating-james-madison-and-freedom-information-act), FOIA Post
Paraphrase: James Madison is someone who aided the making of the Constitution in a great way, and was a game changer in the world of U.S. politics. He wants to give the people a chance to vote by allowing the popular parties to vote. By allowing less power from the government and more for the citizens they will feel somewhat in charge. The citizens obtain knowledge to where they can govern themselves, but must be careful knowing their vote has a lot of power.
" . . . [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. "
Compare and Contrast: Both Madison and AHA believe in the concept of knowledge in a voter. Madison states more that the voter must not want power, but want what is best for the state, while AHA states that knowledge is from history itself. The idea that knowledge comes from history of the state was probably foreign to James Madison considering there had only been twenty years between the first president and himself. I believe if it had been after two- hundred years, James would agree with AHA that history should help the people decide. Although knowledge is used in two different ways, the meaning is the same in that when you are voting use what you know about the past or about the present to help determine your decision.
I personally believe that both ideas are right. Before you vote, you must cast all personal feelings aside, look back in the past, and vote what you think is best for the country. When I begin voting I am going to disregard the Republican or Democratic names and focus on the candidate that will economically help our country the greatest. Through using research of the candidates ideas to see how they have worked in the past, I can visualize what might happen in their presidency. By taking information I know, and thinking over it I can use my knowledge to make the right decision as to what to do.
PART C
1. Throughout this year I have worked to get better with staying on task and getting more research than what I really needed. I struggle with focusing on things, and doing more than what is expected in research. In my last project I found there was a substantial difference. I had more notes than I needed, worked outside of class, and managed to stay focused inside of class and outside of class. I also have been able to learn how to properly cite links, paraphrase, and use cites without plagiarizing. The more practice, the better I became, and now I do not have to fear stealing someone else's work. Looking back to my Lincoln Movie poster, I have one linked source. It has no title or anything, just "Lincoln Movie Poster" linked. I now look above and see my sources of the quotes where I was able to use proper citations, and did not think twice before putting them in. This was a big step for me, and I have learned so much.
12. I am most proud of my menu. I spent a lot of time on the little details, and even made my own menu from a web source. I also cited all of the locations of the pictures, and throughly thought out the whole menu. It was very easy for me to get off track and distracted considering my movie was all about specific foods, but I took the time to think about new and interesting food concepts that fit into my movie.
13. One of the articles I admired was Annie's Immigration article. She talked about naturalization, and managed to mix a good blend between personal opinions and factual evidence. "Time moves fast, lives are always changing and there is no time to waste. The Naturalization process is a long and grueling." -Annie's US History (https://historywithannie.blogspot.com/2019/01/immigration-23.html), "Immigration"
When I first read it I was really impressed by the way she wrote it, it sounded professional and she made a good point about how naturalization processes need to go faster.
14.
a."We are determined that we shall do better... ours must be a navy family that recognizes no artificial barriers of race, color, or religion."- Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt JR The Sextant (https://usnhistory.navylive.dodlive.mil/2016/10/06/an-iconic-figure-to-remember-admiral-elmo-zumwalt-jr/) "An Iconic Figure to Remember, Admiral Elmo R. Sumwalt Jr.
This quote is a groundbreaking moment about the History of America where one of the highest ranking Navy seals says there is no white or black navy, there is only an American Navy. This is a huge moment in America, and is an important quote to remember today that regardless of race or beliefs, we are all America, and we are all a team.
b. "I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own." - Audre Lorde Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/383017-i-am-not-free-while-any-woman-is-unfree-even), "Audre Lorde"
This quote is important to me not because of women empowerment, but because it is a reminder that whatever issue is going on around you whether it involves you or not, you should be holding hands and walking the friend next to you. It is stating that regardless if your shackles or weights are the same, you should always be there to aid your neighbor and lift them up.
C. Ever since I was little I have had a large interest in the topic of witchcraft in the United States. Things like the Salem Witch Trials are very interesting to me, and I would love to learn more about them. I would like to know about specific people that went through the trials, why they were put up for trial, and why people didn't leave cities that were "ridden with witches". Obviously, witchcraft is not actually a real thing, so I wonder what made people make up stories of things that happened to them and things they did.
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| Cornelius Vanderbilt is one of the best known business man of American history undertaking railroad growth as his occupation. He is an inspiration to me by creating a business enterprise and now having a highly esteemed school under his name. He is the representation of an American business man. Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cornelius-Vanderbilt-1794-1877) Cornelius Vanderbilt |
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| Jeanne Lanvin designing a dress for her fashion line in Paris. This is women's fashion beginning with an American lady with drawings in her room. Her dresses are an inspiration to so many fashion designers today, and show that weird designs and crazy outfits are acceptable to society. Lanvin (https://www.lanvin.com/es/maison/jeanne-lanvin/), Jeanna Lanvin |
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| This is the lineup of the first ever U.S. women's national team for soccer, and the reason that girls like me can play soccer today. This is the achievement of girls sports making headway in America, and becoming a sport everyone knows and loves. The First Ever U.S. Women's National Soccer Team WSJ: How Well Do You Know the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team |
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