Superior School Of Commerce “Nicolae Kretzulescu” THE RISE AND THE FALL OF AMERICA

1. Superior School Of Commerce “Nicolae Kretzulescu” THE RISE AND THE FALL OF AMERICA Student : Gheorghe Alexandra Prof.coord. :Cuatu Georgeta Class : 12 F. Bucharest 2011

2. Table of contents ARGUMENT Chapter One – “TOP TEN OUTSTANDING PRESIDENTS” Chapter Two – “TOP TEN OUTSTANDING PRESIDENTS” CONCLUSION Anexes Bibliography

3. ARGUMENT When Maistre wrote this famous aphorism in 1811, he was serving as the King of Piedmont-Sardinia’s envoy to Russian Czar Alexander I. At that time, Alexander was introducing reforms that were moving Russia toward a European-style constitutional government. It’s ironic that Maistre’s quote is now commonly used to suggest that citizens should get more involved in politics, actively push for more democratic governments and rebel against tyrants. Maistre disliked democracy and believed that hereditary monarchies were a divinely-sanctioned, superior form of government. However, it is not the purpose of this paper to analize in any way how and why meanings of words change in time – neither is it to make a strong academic point. I chose to write about the rise and fall of America as the United States are still a great political, military and economic power of this world and whatever path they choose to take, it will eventually afect us, whether we want it or not.

4. CHAPTER ONE TOP TEN OUTSTANDING PRESIDENTS 1. Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865) Abraham Lincoln became the president when everything was going wrong for the USA. 2. 2.Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) Woodrow Wilson was an admirable principled president. He got congress to lower the tariff and he reformed the national banking system. 3. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933-1945) FDR was faced with the immediate problem of depression as soon as his arrival to the oval office. He declared bank holidays which closed all banks; they were then opened a few at a time with government help. 4. James Knox Polk (1845-1849) James Polk was one of the few presidents who made his agenda clear and actually went on to accomplish every one of his preplanned goals . 5 Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) Theodore Roosevelt became the youngest ever president when he took the oath and he brought his exuberance into the office as expected. He controlled trusts so that small businesses and workers were not exploited.

5. 6. Grover Cleveland (1885-1889 and 1893-1897) Grover Cleveland was a tremendously hard working president. He began to reform the federal government and at the same improved civil service to get better workers. 7. Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) Thomas Jefferson cared passionately about his country and put the interests of the people before his. He cut down on the army and the navy as he thought that a country should be run cheaply as possible so there would always be money for bigger developments when the need came. 8. James Monroe (1817-1825) James Monroe’s presidency became known as the era of good feeling. 9. Andrew Jackson (1829-1837) Andrew Jackson was a fearless president right from the beginning. He easily was the best president ever to serve the army – going well past the excellence of George Washington, smashing the British in the war of 1812 . 10. John F. Kennedy (1961-1963) John F. Kennedy was one charismatic president. He brought many teachers, writers, scientists and different intellectuals into the government. His inaugural speech was one of the modern greats as he called for service to his countrymen.

6. CHAPTER TWO TOP TEN OUTSTANDING PRESIDENTS 1. Warren G. Harding (1921-1923) He was an ineffectual and indecisive leader who played poker while his friends plundered the U.S. treasury. 2. Andrew Johnson (1865-1869) Andrew Johnson has risen in scholarly dis-esteem since the publication of Arthur Schlesinger's 1948 poll probably because the post-Civil War Reconstruction has enjoyed a thorough scholarly face-lift. 3. Franklin Pierce (1853-1857) Extending the list of timid pre-Civil War compromisers, Pierce was a Jackson Democrat from New Hampshire whom Whig foes called "doughface"—a northerner with southern principles. 4. Millard Fillmore (1850-1853) The 13th president came to office on the coattails of a popular war hero, Zachary Taylor, who died in office a little over a year after becoming president. 5. John Tyler (1841-1845) At sixth worst, Virginian John Tyler was the first president to rise by succession from the vice presidency—when William Harrison succumbed to pneumonia only 30 days after being sworn into office.

7. 6. Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877) Ulysses S. Grant has risen from No. 2 on the 1948 Schlesinger list probably because of the same revisionist take on Reconstruction that lowered Johnson in the eyes of historians. 7. William Harrison (1841) He was president for all of 30 days after contracting pneumonia during his interminable inaugural. 8. Richard Nixon (1969-1974) Though politically gifted, he will forever be associated with the Watergate scandal and his resignation. 9. Herbert Hoover (1929-1933) He was known as a poor communicator who fueled trade wars and exacerbated the Depression. 10. Zachary Taylor (1849-1850) A political novice, the war hero is entirely forgettable as president. Zachary Taylor was more a forgettable president than a failed one .

8. THE RISE AND THE FALL OF AMERICA “Allow the president to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such a purpose - and you allow him to make war at pleasure.” “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.” Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)

9. CONCLUSION A nation can fall as a result of one flaw and that one flaw can be the loss of a fundamental value or principle that has guided it throughout decades. What Abraham Lincoln said more than 150 years ago served as a guiding line for his people. There have been insignificant presidents, corrupted or simply inefficient, yet on the long run, the U.S. as a whole managed to follow the same path – that of democracy and respect of human rights. It took more than a century and the death of great leaders such as Martin Luther King for the Afro-Americans to be finally accepted even if they had been officially considered free people after the Civil War – yet now they finally have their right place in the society. In my opinion, should this fall come, it will be caused by a too strong self-confidence. No one is always right and, more than that, no one should consider themselves as the universal keeper of justice, the world’s watch-dog, as power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. There is no other feeling closer to extasy than knowing you have the power to influence one’s life in ways that cannot be imagined – then what can be said about those who now do have the power to change the life of entire nations? History will tell, in years to come.

10. Anexes

11. Bibliography: Books: William A. Degregorio - The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents Websites: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents2. http://listverse.com/2008/07/10/top-10-outstanding-us-presidents/3. http://www.usnews.com/news/history/features/the-10-worst-presidents