The Atlantic Monthly, consulting ten historians, has a list of the top 100 most influential figures in American history. I'm somewhat suspicious of any list that doesn't include James Madison (the father of the Constitution) in the top 10. And I have serious misgivings about Woodrow Wilson being ranked so highly, primarily because of his stance on Latin America (he called for self-determination in Europe, but didn't extended the same to our southern neighbors, where he interfered in their politics half a dozen times). But overall it's a good list, and even better that they included Mark Twain and Louis Armstrong. Here's their top 10:
1 Abraham Lincoln
He saved the Union, freed the slaves, and presided over America’s second founding.2 George Washington
He made the United States possible—not only by defeating a king, but by declining to become one himself.3 Thomas Jefferson
The author of the five most important words in American history: “All men are created equal.”4 Franklin Delano Roosevelt
He said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” and then he proved it.5 Alexander Hamilton
Soldier, banker, and political scientist, he set in motion an agrarian nation’s transformation into an industrial power.6 Benjamin Franklin
The Founder-of-all-trades— scientist, printer, writer, diplomat, inventor, and more; like his country, he contained multitudes.7 John Marshall
The defining chief justice, he established the Supreme Court as the equal of the other two federal branches.8 Martin Luther King Jr.
His dream of racial equality is still elusive, but no one did more to make it real.9 Thomas Edison
It wasn’t just the lightbulb; the Wizard of Menlo Park was the most prolific inventor in American history.10 Woodrow Wilson
He made the world safe for U.S. interventionism, if not for democracy.
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