Re: Who has been our greatest President?
I voted Other.
John Quincy Adams.
One of 2 Presidents (Other was JFK) brave enough to stand against the secret societies, like the Freemasons. He also reduced the national debt by $11 million in 4 years in office from 1825 to 1829. It went from $16 million to $5 million. He was not generally considered a consequential President, as Congress often worked against many of his great plans - I blame Congress more than him though.
Definitely by and far our most intelligent President. Learned to speak, read, and write 7 languages before the age of 10. He knew the classics like Shakespeare very well. He accompanied his father (then-future 2nd President John Adams) to France when his father along with Benjamin Franklin were Ministers to France. Same thing as Ambassadors but they had 3 instead of 1. JQA served as some kind of assistant to his father even at that early age.
Was Ministers himself to various countries, was also a Senator, and Secretary of State. Before being President, he negotiated the Treaty of Ghent, which effectively ended the War of 1812 (in 1814), he also authored the Monroe Doctrine.
After being President, he served in Congress from 1831 to 1848. His last (half) term in office was Abraham Lincoln's only term in office. Only man who served with both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Washington and Lincoln each took office 72 years apart from each other. So JQA is an important link in history.
2 failed runs for Governor of Massachusetts in the 1830's, he got runner up status but declined to run in the runoff each time, I think.
He was a Co-Founder of the Anti-Masonic Party.
I think of him as the first REAL Republican President. He did at some point serve as a National Republican, and/or Independent Republican, and was also in his later years a member of the Whig Party, which is the predecessor to the Republican Party.
While in Congress, he was a strong voice that spoke out against slavery, even defying the gag rule, which prevented members of Congress from talking about the slavery issue.
John Quincy Adams defended the First Amendment which the gag order attacked. Effectively repealing the gag rule.
Say what you want about his Presidency, but you cannot deny that this man did more for this country than any other U.S. President. I dare you to find a more intelligent President. Or one that was braver than him. JFK, arguably, having given his own life just to expose the illuminati.
But, John Quincy Adams is my favorite, and for good reason.
Here's a poll I made on him some time back.
http://www.debatepolitics.com/history/190129-john-quincy-adams-approval.html