The Greatest American

[Jubilation T Cornpone]

James K Polk takes all ten places!

[Duke of Gloucester]

The man was as American as any other on the list. Everyone in this great nation has come here from elsewere. He died an American citizen he was as American as George Washington. He definately makes the top ten, one of the more brilliant scientists of the 20th century.

I might accept this if he moved to America and then did his most significant work. Of course what actually happened was that he made his major contributions to science decades before he moved to America. Let the Germans have him and pick someone else.

[John86]

Ted Roosevelt, Walt Whitman, Mr.T. (Look! I Included a black guy, Liberals rejoice!)

[Lemur]

I can't believe I forgot the greatest American of all time -- Melvil Dewey, inventor of the Dewey Decimal System. He was Google before there was Google. All hail Dewey! All hail Dewey!

[lancelot]

My vote is Lincoln.

A simple why: Lincoln is The American Civil War. The Civil War is the touchstone where the colonial root meets the nation that followed. It was at that point the sacrifice was made that created the secular faith of the nation. Lincoln not only preserved the Union, but turned the conflict from a base national preservation, to a moral campaign where the land was forced to reckon with the bigotry instilled in the founding legal document of the country: the Constitution. He thereby combined national interest with moral clarity. The moral dimension, as noted by Tocqueville among others, is what fed into and feeds the psyche of the American Experiment.

I dont want to derail the thread but that is a very sugar-coated history of Lincoln.

[Divinus Arma]

George Washington rightly deserves his cult-hero status. After the war, "His Excellency" could have easily used his newly forming standing army and asserted his authority with the support of the people. There was quite a bit of speculation that Hamilton was inclined towards this end and sought a campaign of conquest in Mexico.

The fact that Washington stepped down after his military leadership is what made him worthy to become our first elected national leader. That example is hardly seen in modern politicians who yearn for presidential power. Powell may be the only modern equivalent in many ways.

[Strike For The South]

1. Thomas Jefferson
2. George Washington
3. Ben Franklin
4. MLK Jr.
5. LBJ
6. T.R.
7. Henry Clay
8. Henry Ford
9. Sam Houston
10. Davy Crockett and Chesty Pullman

[Gawain of Orkeny]

1

2

3

Anybody notice theres something missing here? Not related to my picks but eveyone elses? Well I guess Im just as bad but see if you can guess.

[Husar]

1. Bill Gates

2. Henry Ford

3. Steve Jobs

4. Bill Clinton

5. John F. Kennedy

6. Patton

7. Devastatin Dave

8. Paris Hilton

9. John Carmack

10. Tony Blair

[Duke Malcolm]

Benedict Arnold.

Seconded.

(in no particular order)
1. Benedict Arnold
2. William Allen
3. Joseph Brant Thayendenegea
4. William Franklin (son of Benjamin)
5. Beverly Robinson
6. William Stark
7. Alexander Graham Bell
8. Benjamin Thompson
9. Samuel Seabury
10. Herman Melville

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Again does anybody notice somethings missing here?

[KukriKhan]

I read you the first time, Gawain ol' buddy. A clue?

[Marshal Murat]

Benedict Arnold should not be on here.

A traitor to the country.

[Kralizec]

A poll?

And Simpsons > South Park

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Benedict Arnold should not be on here.

A traitor to the country.

To be fair he did get a very raw deal. I don't have a poor opinion of him.

I think they are just putting him in the top ten to be contrary though. We have lots of generals.

[Marshal Murat]

I would admire him, but he almost sold out West Point. He got to caught up in the politics of the generals, and forgot why he joined the revolution.

Traitor.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

I read you the first time, Gawain ol' buddy. A clue?

What does everyone on this list have in common? If that dont tell you nothing will.

[Strike For The South]

What does everyone on this list have in common? If that dont tell you nothing will.

There men and all are white besided MLK.

[Reenk Roink]

1) The Esteemed Representative from New York in the Second Continental Congress:

Greatest political theorist ever who found the only solution to our crap form of government/politics (sadly it is ignored and democracy remains the opium of the masses). Trumps any of our loser presidents/politicians.

Icing on the cake is that he did everything with class and courtesy.

Update: His name is Mr. Lewis Morris.

[KukriKhan]

There men and all are white besided MLK.

Umm. Jim Thorpe wasn't exactly white. But yeah on the lack of women.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

There men and all are white besided MLK

Exactly. Theres not one woman on the list.

[KukriKhan]

Looking back, there are two: Harriet Beecher Stowe (nominated by Duke of G) and Sacagawea (nominated by Gregoshi).

[Sasaki Kojiro]

For most of our history women and blacks weren't in any position to accomplish things.

I would put susan b anthony on the list.

[Husar]

Paris Hilton is a woman!

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Paris Hilton is a woman!

So is Hillary Clinton

At least I think

[Gregoshi]

As Kukri pointed out, I did have Sacagawea on my list - female & Native American. I also had Chief Joseph & Jim Thorpe in the Native American category and Frederick Douglas (along with Martin Luther King) in the African American category.

However, women are lacking on the list. To rectify this, I'd like to add:

1) Harriet Tubman - African American women who was a big part of the Underground Railroad leading runaway slaves to freedom in the North.

2) Clara Barton - nurse during the Civil War and founder of the American Red Cross.


On the light side, I'd add Cheryl Tiegs who single handedly catapulted the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue into the most important Babe event of the year.

[Duke of Gloucester]

And as well as Harriet Beecher Stowe, I nominated Elizabeth Blackwell (first US woman to practice medicine with a medical degree) and Carrie Chapman Catt (campaigner for women's suffrage).

[Ronin]

How can I go about such a monumental task as choosing the greatest american of all time?

It needs to be somebody that represents the finer ideals of that country.....the one that most lived up to them, the one that had the most important and most positive effect on my life as an individual.....

I´m going with Hugh Hefner....

Ahhhh Hef....one has simply to take a look at your life´s work
to tell you are worthy of praise....may the future generations say your name in reverence!

[doc_bean]

Hugh Hefner

No matter how famous or rich you are, there will always be at least a tiny instant where you wish you were Hugh Hefner.

[Fisherking]

My own list not necessarily in order of greatness:

Ben Franklin Statesman and thinker

Samuel L Clemens Author & Humorist

George Roggers Clark perhaps our greatest military commander

Teddy Roosevelt Politician

Tecumseh Leader and statesman

Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson military commander and teacher

Robert E. Lee for his stand on principal and patriotism

George Washington Carver inventor and chemist

William Johnson Indian Agent because he deserves to be on someones list.