unPresidented

UnPresidented: Ranking All Presidents

Niel ranks every President not in the 2024 election, 1-44. Jusef gives his top 10 best and worst presidents. The two recap the highs and lows of episodes and presidents, while also reflecting on the changes to the pod over the years. This is the last episode for an indefinite period. Thank you to all our listeners who followed us along for the ride, and to those of you that are new here years after this episode dropped! Keywords: Presidents American Presidents America USA United States Politics History Biography Biographical Republicans Democrats Political Parties Senator House of Representatives Constitution American Anthem White House American Flag

UnPresidented: George Washington

We’ve made it to the end, the finale, our first and last President of Unpresidented. George Washington, a man whose face is time and again used as a grand symbol for American democracy — whether it’s on currency, state flags, or statues throughout the 50 states. If you want to have a basic understanding of the American presidency, you have to start with Washington’s actions while in office. Two term limits, farewell addresses, cabinet meetings, and so many more precedents that are ingrained into the office became institutional traditions from Washington’s decisions rather than the framers of the Constitution. Being the first to take an office of novel and rare significance is much harder than to follow in anyone’s footsteps. The humility and care that Washington took into the presidency arguably was one of the most important actions of any individual in ensuring the same nation he helped govern stands today. Still, the events of his presidency are not as popularized as the character of Washington himself (especially in his years fighting in the revolution), as well as his unique dissatisfaction with being a British colonial growing into adulthood. Niel and Jusef first explore the real person — George Washington —then dive into the decisions that actually made his presidency successful even in a 2024 lens. Our journey of presidents ends here. We are back with one more episode to talk more in depth about our podcast as a whole, so we hope you join us for our final send off. Thank you to all our listeners who were part of the journey with us at any point in the last 2 1/2 years — its been a lot of fun. Keywords: Presidents American Presidents America USA United States Politics History Biography Biographical Republicans Democrats Political Parties Senator House of Representatives Constitution American Anthem White House American Flag

UnPresidented: Abraham Lincoln Part 2

Picking up where we left off in Part 1 — Lincoln at the start of the Civil War (and mainly throughout) was having a rough time managing the crisis. A lack of enthusiasm to fight and aggressive-minded generals, as well as a suspension of habeas corpus put him on an uneasy path in trying to win re-election. While his administration had mostly solved the nation’s financial crisis, they suffered heavy losses on the battlefields with little progress to show for it. Until 1863, the country looked like it was on a path to becoming permanently split. That all changed with Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation — for the first time, all black men were given freedom in all rebel states, which further weakened the south as more former slavers escaped and made their way north. Lincoln’s Proclamation completely turned around the war effort and gave it a deeper meaning that finally more closely aligned the nation’s founding principles of civil liberties for all people with what it was now fighting for. The problem that we have with Lincoln though, is that emancipation and the 13th amendment, his signature achievements, never were ambitions of his. Instead, they became convenient policy choices only after he tried to appease southern slaveholders for years. Jusef and Niel discuss if Lincoln should be celebrated as much as he still is today, as well as reaffirm what has become clear from them now studying almost all of the American Presidents — they all are deeply deeply flawed, and arguably more so if they have a greater legacy. x Keywords: Presidents American Presidents America USA United States Politics History Biography Biographical Republicans Democrats Political Parties Senator House of Representatives Constitution American Anthem White House American Flag

UnPresidented: Abraham Lincoln Part 1

When Lincoln comes into office, he is walking into a disaster beyond the seriousness of what even Hoover had to deal with. Several states had already seceded from the Union, with more considering joining the Confederacy. The nation, losing tariff revenue from secession, was also on the brink of financial collapse. The issue of slavery had officially split the country in two, and with southern leaders quick to set up a government and organize an army, the possibilities of reunifying seemed like a slim feat for Lincoln to pull off. As everyone knows, he does just that, and achieves something greater than any presidential accomplishment in history — abolishing slavery in the US. Jusef and Niel discuss if Lincoln’s plans at the beginning of his term were to try to eliminate slavery, or did other factors force him to issue the emancipation proclamation later on. Is Lincoln’s legacy too great to humanize, and can any president come close to matching his accomplishments? Keywords: Presidents American Presidents America USA United States Politics History Biography Biographical Republicans Democrats Political Parties Senator House of Representatives Constitution American Anthem White House American Flag

UnPresidented: Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Part 2

Keywords: Presidents American Presidents America USA United States Politics History Biography Biographical Republicans Democrats Political Parties Senator House of Representatives Constitution American Anthem White House American Flag