East Dakota

THE MOST INFLUENTIAL

By East Dakota

Madison

Madison is one of the most influential americans as a founding father of two of the most important documents in our nation that are still used to this day. During the constitutional convention, Madison was the main writer of

the constitution. He advocated for the check and balance government of three different branches for the government. He was a part of the Virginia plan to have the population determine the amount of representatives in the congress. He was a part of the Great Compromise that made our senate and house of representatives that used both the Virginia and New Jersey plan. He wrote the Federalist Papers No. 51. This advocated for the check and balance and he expressed his fear of mob rule and that a centralized government would keep the nation safe. Besides writing the constitution he also was the main writer in the Bill of Rights that give american citizens the rights that cannot be taken away from the government and states the power that the centralized government did not have. These two documents are the founding of our nation's government and that are still used to this day. The United States government is the bases for many different democracies around the world. The United States was also the first western nation to not have a monarch in their government that followed the articles of confederation. The constitution is also the longest used document in the world with over two hundred years. He became a part of the Jefferson administration as his secretary of state. He was a main supporter and helped the public agree with the Louisiana purchase. Even though the War of 1812 brought down the presidency of Madison, it was the final military involvement between the united states and Britain. This also made the united states more of a legitimate nation to the western nations. James Madison is the father of the constitution and one of the most important founders of the nation.

Franklin

Benjamin Franklin is one of the most renowned figures in American history. As a writer, statesman, scientist, and diplomat, he was integral to America’s foundation and was extremely influential in his ventures. Franklin, as part of academia, owned the Pennsylvania Gazette through which he impacted American politics through publications such as political cartoons. One of Franklin’s most famous political cartoons, published 1754, titled “Join or Die” was made in reference to the Albany Congress. There, Franklin proposed the Albany Plan of Union which called for closer ties between colonies and the establishment of a Grand Council that would determine affairs such as conflicts with Native Americans, the frontier, and provide for the common defense of the colonies. Although eventually denied, this plan penned by Franklin was an important first step towards colonial unification.

In 1727 he founded a debate club that, by 1731, evolved into the first circulating library in America. Moreover, he established an academy that would become the University of Pennsylvania, now one of the top universities in the nation. Franklin also published Poor Richard’s Almanac which was widely read in the colonies and provided key information to farmers and lay people as well as introduce idioms like "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise" to the masses. Franklin was also an important scientist. He came up with the unified theory of electricity and put it to practical use in inventions such as the lightning rod. Franklin is also responsible for the Franklin stove and the invention of bifocals. At the end of his career, Franklin had about 200 patents. As a politician, Franklin served as deputy postmaster general 1753-1774. During this period, Franklin developed an efficient and financially self-supporting postal service. He also served as a representative for the colonies prior to the American Revolution. Franklin obtained war loans, military equipment, defense support from the French after Saratoga. He also convinced the French to declare war against the English. The French aid was very important to the American war effort, and it was through Franklin that America received it. Franklin was a very influential man in American history.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. was probably the most influential man in American history in his efforts to promote and fight for rights of African Americans. He was a needed leader for the civil rights movement and succeeded in bringing change. In 1955, he became involved in the boycott of the Montgomery, Alabama city buses. The bus boycott was started when Rosa Parks sat was penalized for sitting in the ‘white” side of the bus. His support for the boycott brought in more attention to the cause, which later contributed to to the downfall of the bus rules, because of increased pressure from the outside. King’s use of the Non-Violent protest also brought serious change.

His principles were based on those of Gandhi. MLK did not want to fight violence with violence, so he emphasized the peaceful protest. His principles brought respect and attention to the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King was also part of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which aimed at unifying the energy of the black churches. They used had non-violent protests that fought for civil rights for African Americans. In 1963, the March on Washington had the whole nation looking at MLK and brought more awareness to the cause. His historic “I Have A Dream” speech is studied to this day and significantly influenced the movement for civil rights. The rise of civil rights protest brought a change in public opinion. People began to question treatment of African Americans and the fight against the oppression. Because of this, the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, which enforced desegregation and outlawed discrimination. Martin Luther King Jr’s lessons on racial equality and peaceful protest have shaped the nation so much that there is a national MLK day, where we celebrate all he has done to improve the lives of minorities in society today.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was one of the foremost contributors to the early feminist movement. She was born in 1815 in New York, in a time when women were afforded few rights. In 1840 she married Henry B. Stanton, and removed the “obey” clause from her marriage vows, a revolutionary act at the time. Furthermore, in 1840 she met her future friend and women’s rights advocate Lucretia Mott. Together, they held the first women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls in 1848. This convention was revolutionary. Stanton drafted and then read her “Declaration of Sentiments,” which was modeled after the American Declaration of Independence. In this document Stanton listed women’s grievances and subsequently offered her resolutions, including property ownership, more educational opportunities, divorce reform, and women’s suffrage. Stanton asserted that all men and women were created equal, while also affirming that the path to equality would be full of trials and tribulations: “We do not expect our path will be strewn with the flowers of popular applause, but over the thorns of bigotry and prejudice will be our way, and on our banners will beat the dark storm-clouds of opposition from those who have entrenched themselves behind the stormy bulwarks of custom and authority, and who have fortified their position by every means, holy and unholy. But we will steadfastly abide the result. Unmoved we will bear it aloft. Undaunted we will unfurl it to the gale, for we know that the storm cannot rend from it a shred, that the electric flash will but more clearly show to us the glorious words inscribed upon it, ‘Equality of Rights.’”

Thus The Women’s Rights Convention at Seneca Falls signified the beginning of the women’s suffrage movement, marking the first time women publicly demanded the vote. However, Elizabeth Cady Stanton was not one to rest on her laurels. In 1854 she became the first woman ever to address a joint session of the New York Legislature, arguing for a stronger married women's property bill, which then passed. With the help of Susan B. Anthony, she founded the National Women Suffrage Association and was president of this association for 20 years. Furthermore, during the Civil War she spearheaded the Women’s Loyal League, which not only helped bring about an end to the Civil War but also encouraged Congress to pass a constitutional amendment to abolish slavery. She dedicated 50 years of her life to the women’s rights movement. Her accomplishments paved the way for later generations of women, and although she did not live to see the ratification of the 19th Amendment, she was vital to its passage.

Wilson and Truman

Woodrow Wilson was one of the most influential presidents in American history. To this day, Wilson is the only American president to ever have a PhD. He earned PhDs in Political Science and History after attending college at Johns Hopkins, Davidson, Princeton, and the University of Virginia. He handled the World War 1 crisis which helped turn America into a global powerhouse for the remainder of the 20th century and into the 21st century. It was the first time the U.S. interfered in a foreign war and left isolationism. Following the war, America became one of the most involved countries in international politics. America flexed its military might for the first time in a global setting. Wilson had a grand idea for convincing American citizens to support the war effort. He came up with the fourteen points, which expressed his policy of moral diplomacy. Some of his better known points included abolishing secret treaties, freedom of the seas, removing economic barriers post war, reducing armament globally, and reducing colonies. His main and final point was to create the League of Nations. The League of Nations was like a predecessor to the United Nations. The League of Nations was designed as an international peacekeeping organization that would be neutral. This was a brilliant idea. Unfortunately, the League of Nations failed after the Congress did not pass a bill to join the League of Nations. Wilson’s idea was used during World War 2, when the United Nations, an organization similar to the League, was created.

The United Nations has survived to this day and is arguably the most powerful and respected organization in the whole world. Wilson had a significant effect on America through his domestic policy as well. He created the Federal Reserve, which is the banking system that we use to this day. We have regional banks throughout the country that run the government money in their regions and oversee the private banks that serve the public. They are our backup plan in case something bad happens and commercial banks start to go under. Wilson also started the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC protects the American public from fraud by companies. It regulates American trade and helps enforce the Sherman and Clayton Antitrust Acts. These prevent companies from monopolizing an industry and having total power to do whatever in that industry. Wilson passed the Underwood Tariff in 1913, drastically lowering the tariff, promoting international trade. It also reimposed the federal income tax, which is the main way the government raises money for everything from infrastructure to education. Wilson revolutionized labor in America. He nationally limited workers to 8 hour days, helping protect laborers who were being taken advantage of by employers. He created Child Labor Laws. This protected children from having to work menial jobs and give up their chance at a job that can actually make reasonable money. Children were now able to get a good education, giving them significantly better odds at a better paying job. Children that started working at young ages instead of staying in school were stuck in low level jobs for the rest of their lives, unable to advance due to their lack of education. Wilson also started giving government loans to farmers. This helped smaller farms stay afloat and debt free, increasing our GDP and our food supply. Wilson also passed the 19th Amendment. The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote. They had been desperately needing the right to vote for a long time. Elections could actually portray the will of the people for the first time instead of the will of less than half of the population, like had been the case before this historic piece of legislation. Woodrow Wilson is one of the most underrated Presidents in American history and deserves more recognition for his many great contributions to American society.

Truman, before he was president Truman served on the senate. He established and chaired the special committee to Investigate the National Defense Program. Truman exposed numerous corporations that padded the military costs of World War II. As president during the World War II and the tumultuous beginning to the post-war era, Truman was extremely influential. He made the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan and after the war he established the Truman Doctrine and helped instigate the Marshall plan. Moreover, it was Truman that ordered the troops into South Korea after it was invaded by North Korea. He also dismissed MacArthur because MacArthur wanted to engage further with North Korea even though China had began to get involved.Both of these events had a profound effect on America.

Truman also used his office to publicize civil rights. Through executive action, he ordered the integration of the army, however integration did not come to fruition until the Korean War. Truman also vetoed the McCarran Internal Security act of 1950 which forced communists to register with the Justice department, provided for the deportation of any communist aliens, and allowed the prohibition of communists employment. Although this act was later passed by congress, it showed that Truman disagreed with the encroachment on Americans’ rights. Truman also consolidated the New Deal through his domestic programs called the Fair deal. Truman attempted to expand social welfare and increase civil rights for African Americans.

MacArthur and Powell

General MacArthur was the Supreme Commander of the Southern Eastern front of the allied forces. He carried out the island hopping campaign that would prove essential to the defeat of Japan. He was able to take the North Coast of New Guinea in 1944 after leading an expedition through dangerous jungle, the first step in his promised return to the Philippines. He returned to the Philippines in 1944. He helped defeat the Japanese at the Leyte Gulf, which ended Japan’s reign as a naval power. After World War II, MacArthur was put in charge of rebuilding Japan. He installed a democracy and tried Japanese war criminals, much as was done at the Nuremberg trials.

He gave them a constitution in 1946, renouncing militarism, promoting women’s equality, and implementing a Western style democracy. This strong foundation gave Japan the ability to grow into one of the world’s mightiest industrial powers. MacArthur’s influence in and after World War II was huge, he played a massive role in beating the Japanese, and an even larger role in setting up Japan’s government. Without his military expertise, the war might have dragged on much longer. If he had not set up Japan’s government in the way that he did, they might have reverted to militarist ways. MacArthur also was a major figure in the Korean War. He launched a risky amphibious landing in Inchon in 1950, which was enormously successful. He managed to push all the way to the Yalu river on the border between Korea and China. This large push gave the American forces the foothold they needed to defend the area previously held. Although Korea did emerge divided from the war, it is very possible that if not for MacArthur’s military genius America would not have achieved even that. MacArthur was able to influence the course of the Korean War, allowing the Americans to keep the southern part of Korea. He also influenced the American people, upon his return to America he was celebrated as a hero.

Colin Powell was one of the most influential generals in American history, but has a history of being used as a scapegoat. In the 60s and 70s, Powell served for 2 tours in Vietnam. From his time in Vietnam, Powell was investigated over the My Lai massacre, but was found innocent because Powell wasn’t even there for the My Lai massacre. Powell rose up to a 4 star general while in the army from 1958-1987. Then Powell’s career took a turn, he was promoted to the National Security Advisor for the end of the Reagan administration. As National Security Advisor, Powell advised Reagan during Reagan’s meetings with Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev, winding down the Cold War. Powell also helped Reagan overthrow the Communist regime that had taken over in Nicaragua. Between 1989 and 1993, Powell served as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under the first George Bush and Bill Clinton. Powell was the head of the Pentagon and ran the entire United States military as we were successful in the Cold War and the Soviet Union collapsed. Powell played a large role in the ending of the biggest military crisis in American history. The Cold War could have meant the end of the world if a nuclear war broke out between the United States and the Soviet Union. Powell helped to cause a peaceful ending to the war. Powell created the Powell Doctrine which was to use maximum force and new technology to minimize casualties, saving the lives of thousands of innocent civilians. He ran the Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, helping to retaliate against the tyrant Saddam Hussein in Iraq. This caused Powell to gain notoriety in America. In 1994, he helped lead a peacekeeping mission to Haiti, which overthrew a military dictator and restored a peaceful rule by an elected leader.

Then, Powell was the chairman of America’s Promise, a nonprofit designed to help the competence and character of American children. In 2000, the second George Bush made Powell his Secretary of State. The Senate unanimously approved Bush’s nomination of Powell. He served as Secretary of State until 2005. Powell helped the nation get through the tough time that was 9/11. He helped to build the case for the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 to help take down Saddam Hussein for good. He had been opposed to overthrowing Hussein and only wanted containment, but Bush convinced Powell to support a coup d'etat. He made a speech supporting the idea and saying that there was evidence of weapons of mass destruction. He later apologized for the speech after the information he had received turned out to be faulty. He resigned from his post as leader of the American military over this issue. Many people refused to forgive him, despite his heartfelt apology. Powell has since traveled, giving speeches and is known for his exceptional skills as an orator. Powell has never run for President, but has been anticipated as a candidate on numerous equations. He was considered as a vice presidential candidate in 1992. Many people expected Powell to run as a Republican president in 1996. He even won in a prospective poll with Bill Clinton. He won the vice presidential Republican primary in New Hampshire on write in votes alone. In 2000, people thought that Powell would run against Bush for the Republican nomination, but he didn’t. Despite not running in the 2016 elections, 3 electors from Washington voted for Powell, giving him 3 electoral votes, more than 3rd party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein. Powell has won countless awards such as the purple heart and the Presidential Service Badge for his military service and multiple Presidential Medals of Freedom, the President’s Citizens Medal, and the Congressional Gold Medal. All these awards can only begin to illustrate how important Colin Powell has been to this country.

Edison

Thomas Edison is one of the quintessential rags to riches success stories that is part of the american dream. In 1877 he invented the phonograph, a mechanical recording and reproduction of sound. With the financial backing of J.P. Morgan he set up Edison Electric Light Company and started to work and develop in 1878.  After buying the Woodward and Evans’ patent for the lightbulb in October of 1879 he found a platinum filament that would make the light bulb long lasting and more affordable. Edison founded the Edison Illuminating Company to help spread the production and use of the light bulb across the nation. By 1889 the AC current light bulb was the most used light source.

In 1892 the Edison General Electric Co. merged with another company and become General Electric Co., one of the companies that still exist today. Edison had the idea of linking the phonograph to a zoetrope that would make the images appear like they are moving. He would work with William K.L. Dickerson to create the first working motion picture camera the Kinetograph and a viewing instrument the Kinetoscope in which both were patented in 1891. He made the alkaline storage battery that would later fuel subrimanes and electric cars. During this time he perfected the phonograph with the help of the alkaline storage battery. On April 23, 1896 Edison was the first person to show a motion picture. He was a part of the Naval Consulting Board during WWI for the U.S. but refused to make any weapons that would be used for an attack and only for defense of the United States. Some things that he came up with was the subprime directory and gun-location techniques. Edison acquired a record number of 1,093 patents either singly or jointly, with some as success and about 500 that were not accepted. He is seen as the representation of the american dream by many.

Henry Clay

Born in 1777, Henry Clay was crucial to the young American nation. In 1803 Clay was elected to the Kentucky Legislature, marking the beginning of an extremely successful career. After the War of 1812, Henry Clay joined several other American peace negotiators, who bargained with Great Britain until they agreed upon a treaty that was essentially an armistice, despite America’s clear loss. Once back at home Clay established the American System, which was based on the rechartering of the National Bank, the building of roads and canals and the protection of industry. His system would knit America together economically and thus politically. However, perhaps Clay’s greatest contributions to America are his compromises. Known as the Great Compromiser, he held together a nation that was becoming increasingly divided by the issue of slavery.

In 1819 the House of Representatives passed the Tallmadge Amendment, stipulating that no more slaves should be brought into Missouri and provided for the gradual emancipation of children born to slave parents already there. This amendment rationalized many Southerners beliefs that the Northern States would attempt to abolish slavery. With a deadlock in Congress regarding the admission of Missouri as a slave or free state, Henry Clay came to the rescue. In his Missouri Compromise, Missouri was admitted as a slave state, but at the same to Maine became a free state. Furthermore, the Missouri Compromise declared that bondage was prohibited in the remainder of the Louisiana Purchase north of the line 36 30’.

Years later, during the Nullification Crisis, Clay helped pass the Compromise Tariff of 1833. This tariff played a crucial role in ending the Nullification Crisis, bringing the Southern states back into the fold and preventing a civil war.

Finally, in 1850 an ailing Clay orchestrated the Compromise of 1850. New land gained in the Mexican American war and the question of whether or not it would become a slave or free state threatened to tear the union apart. Clay threw his support behind the Compromise of 1850, which admitted California as a free state but also implemented a nationwide fugitive slave law, among other concessions. The Compromise of 1850 held the American nation together for 11 more years. It was no accident that the American Civil War occurred after Henry Clay, The Great Compromiser, had died. Without Henry Clay’s contributions to the American Nation it is likely that the United States would have been torn apart much sooner. He was crucial to the American nation.

Lyndon B. Johnson

After President Kennedy was assassinated, Lyndon B. Johnson became the 36th president if the United States in 1963. He had a goal to create a “Great Society” for all Americans. The Great Society program was Johnson’s central agenda during his presidency, where he championed programs such as Medicare, attack on disease, access to education, urban renewal, conservation, and removal of obstacles to the right to vote. In the 1965 Medicare Amendment to the Social Security Act, millions of elderly American received health insurance.

The Medicare program also benefited those living in poverty by providing federal health insurance. He signed the historic Civil Rights act of 1964 and made progress towards combating racial discrimination. His presidency was aimed at protecting more Americans from entering poverty and helping those who were already poor, and also protecting the environment, promoting health insurance, access to education, and racial equality. Under his administration, NASA flourished and accomplished incredible jumps in space exploration. He did his best to use his power to break down segregation.

Villain: Nathan Bedford Forrest

Nathan Bedford Forrest enlisted in the Confederate cavalry and rose through the ranks to eventually achieve the rank of general. After the war, he went on to help found the Ku Klux Klan in 1867. He was appointed the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan in 1867, meaning he was the leader of the whole organization. The Ku Klux Klan was created during Reconstruction in an attempt to destroy reconstruction policies. They burned crosses in the yards of African Americans and also terrorized them through beatings to keep them from voting or holding office. Forrest created an organization whose primary goal was to promote white supremacy. He did try to shut the Klan down, but the local groups, called klaverns, persisted. Forrest had created a monster that spun out of his control.

Although there was a period after Reconstruction ended where the Ku Klux Klan disappeared, it would reappear in the 1920s. When it emerged again, the Ku Klux Klan began to attack Jewish, Catholic, and non native born citizens in addition to African Americans. The Klan committed horrible acts against its victims, burning crosses, torturing and killing targeted groups. At its height in the 1920s the Klan boast over 3 million members, showing the immense influence Forrest had over a huge amount of people. Forrest influenced countless Americans who would be terrorized by the Klan for over a hundred years. His organization would continue to promote a white supremacist agenda that continues even to this day. By founding the Ku Klux Klan, Forrest created a legacy for himself that will last forever, the horrors committed by the Klan will never be forgotten by Americans and his influence will continue to affect modern day America.

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