John Hawkins has a list of his top 20 Americans of all time and is inviting bloggers to come up with their own catalog of influential Yanks. Hawkins is responding to the ludicrous list voted on by people nationwide and plastered all over the Discovery Channel. Any list that contains Oprah Winfrey and Bill Clinton in its top twenty can be safely ignored. As John says, the list “tells you all you need to know about how well America’s public schools teach history.”

I wouldn’t blame it entirely on the schools but rather on a lack of curiosity by most Americans about their past. This phenomenon has been commented on since the beginning of the Republic and I doubt that it will ever change. We are a nation that has never dwelt on the past but rather looked to the future. And people in this day and age who constantly try and remind us of the past tend not to be very popular except when the reminder is used to evoke patriotic feelings toward the present.

All this being said, here are my top twenty Americans. And unlike Mr. Hawkins, I will not chicken out (lol) by not ranking them:

1. George Washington

“Father of our Country” is more than just a saying, it’s a literal truth. No George Washington, no America. Period.

2. Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson may have been the most brilliant American ever. His list of abilities, of interests, and accomplishments are absolutely staggering. John F. Kennedy, entertaining a group of Nobel Prize winners at dinner summed it up best. He quipped ” that so much talent had not been present in the room since Thomas Jefferson dined alone. ... ”

3. Martin Luther King

For his “I Have a Dream” speech alone King would be in the top five. Simply put, that speech changed America and the effects of it are being felt to this day. A little commented on ability of King’s was that he was also a terrific organizer. He was tireless. He was focused. And he was perhaps the second most important American of the 20th century.

4. Franklin Roosevelt

FDR’s communication skills were rivaled only by Reagan. He changed the way government interacts with its citizens forever. This was not always for the best but we’re talking about influential Americans. No one American had more influence on present policy and politics than FDR.

5. James Madison

Madison could have been ranked higher if his Presidency had been more effective. As it was, he got us embroiled in an unnecessary war with Great Britain that almost tore the young country apart. He was, however, the primary author and the main defender of the Constitution. He, along with Hamilton made that document a reality.

6. Abraham Lincoln

Could any other man have kept the Union together? Doubt it. Also responsible for modern Republican party.

7. Teddy Roosevelt

TR pretty much made the modern Presidency. Also, many of his activist attitudes toward government were a harbinger of his cousin FDR’s policies. He gets the top 10 ranking for being such a dominating figure in his time.

8. Benjamin Franklin

Where to rank Franklin is a puzzle. He wasn’t really a politician. But we have Franklin to thank for putting America on the map. His popularity in France was largely responsible for the absolutely vital alliance between that country and the newly minted United States. Without French help, independence would probably have remained elusive. And without Franklin, no French treaty. Also, Franklin was instrumental in steering the colonies toward independence in 1775-76.

9. Henry Clay

For nearly 40 years, Clay dominated first in the House and then the Senate. Beginning with the Compromise of 1821 almost till his death in 1852, the triumvirate of Clay, John C. Calhoun, and Daniel Webster kept the country from flying apart at the seams over slavery. No Congressman before or since had so much influence on events.

10. James Watson

James Watson and Englishman Francis Crick discovered the secret of life, the DNA molecule from which so much science and medicine is derived today it’s impossible to catalog. Next to the Englishman Ernest Rutherford’s discoveries about atomic structure, there has been no more influential scientists in history.

11. Albert Einstein

I may get an argument about that last statement from Einstein fans. But the fact is, Einstein’s enormous achievements lie in the theoretical while Crick/Watson’s discoveries have a wealth of practical applications. Clearly though, Einsteins theories on light, on gravity, and most importantly on energy changed the modern world.

12. Susan B. Anthony

No women’s vote without Anthony? No, which is why she’s not ranked higher. However, that said, her leadership and more importantly, her inspirational writings on women’s suffrage changed the course of history.

13. Ronald Reagan

I know, I know…all my conservative friends are probably upset that I didn’t rank the Gipper a little higher. Frankly, I think we’re all a little too close emotionally to Reagan to truly measure his greatness. He can be credited with starting so many things – fall of communism, a conservative revolution, a change in the way people look at government – but the tote board of his actual accomplishments is still unfinished. I think he’ll eventually be ranked higher. But for the moment, he stays where he is.

14. Orville and Wilbur Wright

Not only were the Wright brothers responsible for the first powered flight, the machine they built had so many original ideas in it that it can be truly be said the world has seen nothing like it up until that time. The story of flight is one of the most interesting things you’ll ever read. To Conquer the Air: The Wright Brothers and the Great Race for Flight is the most fascinating book I’ve read in 20 years.

15. Dwight Eisenhower

Successful D-Day invasion without Eisenhower? Probably. But Ike’s gifts were on display after D-Day. He managed the final year of the war masterfully, keeping together one of the most unlikely coalitions in history; two ultra-capitalist states and one ultra-socialist state. That plus Ike’s Presidency that saw the birth of NASA, which assured civilian control of the space effort (a move that guaranteed the computer age) as well as the construction of the Interstate highway system put him on the list.

16. Thomas Edison

Edison isn’t ranked higher because his inventions were really improvements on other people’s work. That said, he was an original thinker and represents culturally the iconic American tinkerer. He was also a shrewd businessman and marketer.

17. Andrew Jackson

Jackson’s Presidency was the culmination of the first truly populist movement in American history. An inveterate Indian hater, his policy toward the tribes was unconscionable. However, he more than anyone else was responsible for expanding the power of the executive in relation to Congress.

18. Mark Twain

Before Samuel Clemons, there was no such thing as American literature in the eyes of the rest of the world. Not only that, his books have worn extremely well down through the years. His influence on the American novel is huge. Besides all that, he’s my personal favorite.

19. Daniel Boone

Boone is important in real life as well as legend. His pioneering of Kentucky opened the west to the rest of America. His cultural identity as a hunter-hero is equally important. All countries need legends. He was our first.

20. John Adams

Only because he’d be upset if I kept him off this list. Actually, Mr. Adam’s reputation has enjoyed a boost recently thanks to the wonderful biography by historian David McCullough. His importance to the cause of American independence is well known. But his ineffectiveness as President coupled with an unreasoning hatred of Jefferson caused our young republic enormous problems. But then, the last 15 years of his life, he and Jefferson exchanged personal correspondence that, when read today, is a remarkable record of the thinking of two great Americans.

What? No Alexander Hamilton? The short answer is not on this blog. Hamilton was a schemer. And while his policies as Treasury Secretary were very influential, any good he did must be tempered by the realization that he constantly tried to manipulate those around him – including Washington – to do his bidding. To my mind, he’s the most unattractive major figure in American history.

UPDATE

I am either the bravest or the dumbest blogger on the planet.

After looking at Hawkin’s trackbacks, I see I’m the only one who actually ranked my picks. In doing so, I got an eerie feeling of deja vu. The last time I ranked my picks for something was when Hawkins did a post on Best Star Trek Characters of all Time.” My response allowed every trekkie in the world to not only disagree with me but call me nasty names to boot.

Please be nice to me, oh gentle readers. I bruise very easily…