Summary
Contents
This comprehensive guide is the definitive source for researchers seeking an understanding of those who have occupied the White House and on the institution of the U.S. presidency. Readers turn to Guide to the Presidency for its wealth of facts and analytical chapters that explain the structure, powers, and operations of the office and the president’s relationship with Congress and the Supreme Court. The work is divided into eight distinct subject areas covering every aspect of the U.S. presidency.
Chapter 4 Rating the Presidents
Chapter 4 Rating the Presidents
One approach that historians (and, more recently, political scientists) have taken to the history of the presidency is to rate the presidents’ performances in office, then rank them in relation to one another. In doing so, scholars participate in the great American pastime of listing and ranking almost everything, from the ten best movies to the top forty songs. But historians and political scientists also hope to learn from their rankings. What makes a president great, average, or a failure? Have different eras been marked by notable differences in presidential quality?
Presidential ratings also try to shed light on a larger historical issue, namely, has the American presidency been a generally successful institution? James Bryce, the distinguished nineteenth-century ...