The Presidents Who Left Scars, Instead of Legacies

We like to believe we live in a democracy, where no single person shapes our future alone. But for some Americans, a president’s decision, made over a century ago, is still shaping their lives today.

I am an unapologetic future-optimist. I believe that the future is bright, and that we can achieve great things if we work together. I also believe that the past is a great predictor of the future. While history may not repeat, it often rhymes.

In our current political instability, it is difficult to know what the lasting impact of today's administration will be. The core identities of many of our country's citizens are firmly rooted in their political beliefs. This wasn't always the case, but it is today. Through that lens, it's important to understand the legacy of each president, not just because it has a lasting impact on the country, but because the impact is magnified by our current political polarization.

I thought it would be interesting to scroll back the timeline, peering at the legacies of every president in US history, and examine the decisions they made that had a lasting impact. Particularly the universally bad ones.

The passage of time has a role in accentuating the genius of artists. Mozart was a pop star in his time, but his music is now considered to be some of the greatest ever written. Simiarly, time has a role in accentuating the bad decisions of world leaders.

When you've made a decision that is still deemed bad several centuries later, it should get special attention; it's the crater-sized pothole that we should avoid as we're driving down the road of the future.

How does one define a bad decision? After all, a bad decision could be a call that was unpopular at the time, but later came to be seen as a good decision. A true bad decision is one that has a lasting negative impact on the country, and is still felt today. Time compounds.

Before diving into this list, I wanted to share some takeaways:

Observations & Questions

  1. The power of a presidency can be measured by the lasting impact of their decisions (good or bad).

  2. The "worst" president: it's a tie between Andrew Jackson and Andrew Johnson. Both were undemocratically powerful, staunchly against civil rights, and have a legacy of damage that is still felt today.

  3. The least-impactful president: it's a tie between William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor. Both died early in office and ultimately had administrations that stood for nothing. (What's worse: being a bad president with a lasting legacy, or a good president with no legacy?)

  4. It's interesting to note that accepted great presidents like Lincoln and FDR, had good decisions that have lasted many decades. They outweighed the bad ones. That's what makes them great (and extremely rare).

  5. If you're powerful, it's easier to make a long-term decision that is damaging than it is to make a positive one. Speak loudly and carry a small stick.

  6. Virtually all presidents after World War II have had legacies with much less lasting damage than previous presidents. What changed? Did the speed of our government change? Did our society become more resilient? Did the global balance of power stabilize (relatively)?

  7. The decisions with ongoing impact, regardless of when they were made, have a theme: almost all are related to the expansion of presidential power. This should alert us to the importance of checks and balances. As history has shown, once executive power has been expanded, it doesn't roll back.

  8. The decisions that have had an impact that has lasted centuries are almost all related to civil rights. The lesson in social change: it takes a long time to make progress.

Final thought

We all have a limited amount of time and energy to spend on our political system. In a world where everything is "Breaking News," the truth is that some issues are still more important than others.

If you hear of a policy that is about expanding presidential power, it's probably a bad idea that will last generations. If you hear of a policy that is related to eroding civil rights, it's probably a bad idea that will last for generations.

Focus your energy on these.

Now, the list.

Presidents and their bad calls

Here are the generally-accepted lasting bad decisions of each US Presidents, and how long their impact has been felt.

NOTE: I stopped at Clinton's administration, because it's simply too recent to have a full understanding of the impact of his (and future administrations') decisions.

View this list in handy chart-form

George Washington (1789–1797)

  1. Suppressing dissent (e.g., Whiskey Rebellion) → ~20 years (precedent for government force lasted into the Civil War)
  2. Did not take decisive action against slavery → ~75 years (until the Civil War)
  3. Strengthened executive power without clear checks → Ongoing (expanded presidential power remains today)

John Adams (1797–1801)

  1. Alien & Sedition Acts (suppressed free speech) → ~3 years (repealed/expired by 1802)
  2. Increased tensions with France (Quasi-War) → ~4 years (resolved by 1801)
  3. Strengthened federal power over states → ~10 years (until Jeffersonian rollback)

Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809)

  1. Embargo Act (crippled economy) → ~6 years (repealed in 1809, but effects lasted)
  2. Louisiana Purchase (executive overreach) → Ongoing (expanded precedent for unilateral executive decisions)
  3. Continued Native American displacement → ~100+ years (until late 20th century)

James Madison (1809–1817)

  1. Mishandled War of 1812 → ~5 years (recovery from war lasted into the 1820s)
  2. Postwar economic struggles → ~8 years (Panic of 1819)
  3. Sectional tensions over slavery → ~50 years (until the Civil War)

James Monroe (1817–1825)

  1. Missouri Compromise (delayed Civil War) → ~40 years (overturned by Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854)
  2. Monroe Doctrine (increased interventionism) → Ongoing (still cited in U.S. foreign policy)
  3. Ignored economic instability → ~10 years (until Jacksonian economic policies)

John Quincy Adams (1825–1829)

  1. "Corrupt Bargain" (political legitimacy issues) → ~4 years (until Jackson's election)
  2. Infrastructure failures → ~10 years (until Whig policies took hold)
  3. Ignored sectional tensions → ~30 years (culminating in Civil War)

Andrew Jackson (1829–1837)

  1. Indian Removal Act (Trail of Tears) → ~100+ years (Native displacement & oppression lasted into the 20th century)
  2. Destroyed the national bank → ~75 years (financial instability until the Federal Reserve in 1913)
  3. Expanded executive power → Ongoing (established the "imperial presidency")

Martin Van Buren (1837–1841)

  1. Mishandled Panic of 1837 → ~6 years (economic crisis lasted into the 1840s)
  2. Continued Indian removal → ~100+ years
  3. Strengthened political patronage → ~50 years (until Civil Service reforms in the late 19th century)

William Henry Harrison (1841)

  1. Died early, creating instability → ~1 year (Tyler stabilized presidency)
  2. Campaigning on populist rhetoric → Ongoing (modern campaigns still use it)
  3. No major policy impact.

John Tyler (1841–1845)

  1. Vetoed much of his own party's agenda → ~4 years (until next administration)
  2. Annexed Texas (escalated tensions) → ~15 years (led to Mexican-American War & Civil War)
  3. Opposed national infrastructure → ~20 years (until Republican policies post-Civil War)

James K. Polk (1845–1849)

  1. Mexican-American War (territorial expansion issues) → ~15 years (contributed to Civil War)
  2. Expanded slavery's reach → ~15 years (intensified sectionalism)
  3. Prioritized expansion over domestic stability → ~10 years

Zachary Taylor (1849–1850)

  1. Died in office, creating instability → ~1 year (Fillmore took over)
  2. No clear slavery stance → ~10 years
  3. Little policy impact.

Millard Fillmore (1850–1853)

  1. Signed Fugitive Slave Act → ~11 years (enforced until Civil War)
  2. Strengthened pro-slavery policies → ~10 years
  3. Alienated anti-slavery factions → ~6 years

Franklin Pierce (1853–1857)

  1. Kansas-Nebraska Act (led to "Bleeding Kansas") → ~7 years (until Civil War)
  2. Enforced Fugitive Slave Act → ~10 years
  3. Expanded pro-slavery policies → ~10 years

James Buchanan (1857–1861)

  1. Dred Scott Decision enforcement → ~4 years (overturned post-Civil War)
  2. Failed to prevent Civil War → ~4 years
  3. Mishandled the economy → ~5 years

Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865)

  1. Suspended habeas corpus → ~5 years (reversed post-war)
  2. Oversaw wartime destruction in the South → ~20 years (Reconstruction effects)
  3. Assassination led to chaotic Reconstruction → ~15 years

Andrew Johnson (1865–1869)

  1. Opposed Reconstruction → ~100 years (led to Jim Crow)
  2. Vetoed civil rights protections → ~100 years
  3. Almost impeached → 1 year

Ulysses S. Grant (1869–1877)

  1. Oversaw massive corruption → ~10 years
  2. Failed Reconstruction enforcement → ~100 years
  3. Mishandled Panic of 1873 → ~6 years

Rutherford B. Hayes (1877–1881)

  1. Ended Reconstruction → ~100 years
  2. Disputed election deal → ~4 years
  3. Failed to curb corruption → ~10 years

James A. Garfield (1881)

  1. Assassination led to political instability → ~1 year (until Arthur's presidency stabilized)
  2. Limited time to implement policies → Immediate effect
  3. Continued patronage system → ~2 years (until Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act)

Chester A. Arthur (1881–1885)

  1. Continued high tariffs → ~8 years (until tariff reforms)
  2. Limited civil rights progress → ~50 years (until Civil Rights Movement)
  3. Chinese Exclusion Act → ~60 years (until repealed in 1943)

Grover Cleveland (1885–1889, 1893–1897)

  1. Mishandled Panic of 1893 → ~6 years
  2. Opposed progressive reforms → ~20 years
  3. Weak foreign policy → ~10 years

Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893)

  1. High tariffs hurt farmers → ~8 years
  2. Native American land dispossession → ~100 years
  3. Reckless federal spending → ~10 years

William McKinley (1897–1901)

  1. Spanish-American War (imperialism) → ~50 years (led to prolonged U.S. presence in the Philippines)
  2. Annexation of Hawaii → Ongoing (issues of native sovereignty and statehood)
  3. Strengthened corporate power → ~30 years (until Progressive Era reforms)

Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909)

  1. Expanded executive power → Ongoing (furthered the "imperial presidency")
  2. Intervention in Latin America → ~50 years (set precedent for future interventions)
  3. Conservation policies ignored indigenous rights → ~100 years (ongoing land disputes)

William Howard Taft (1909–1913)

  1. Dollar Diplomacy (economic imperialism) → ~20 years (until the Great Depression)
  2. Split the Republican Party → ~8 years (until Harding's election)
  3. Failed to advance civil rights → ~50 years (until Civil Rights Movement)

Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921)

  1. Segregated federal workforce → ~50 years (until Civil Rights Movement)
  2. Mishandled Treaty of Versailles → ~20 years (contributed to WWII)
  3. Suppressed dissent during WWI → ~5 years (post-war Red Scare)

Warren G. Harding (1921–1923)

  1. Teapot Dome Scandal (corruption) → ~10 years (until New Deal reforms)
  2. Laissez-faire economic policies → ~8 years (contributed to Great Depression)
  3. Ignored racial tensions → ~50 years (until Civil Rights Movement)

Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929)

  1. Laissez-faire policies → ~4 years (contributed to Great Depression)
  2. Ignored agricultural distress → ~10 years (until New Deal)
  3. Limited government intervention → ~8 years (until New Deal)

Herbert Hoover (1929–1933)

  1. Great Depression response → ~4 years (until New Deal)
  2. Bonus Army incident → ~3 years (until FDR's election)
  3. High tariffs (Smoot-Hawley) → ~10 years (exacerbated global depression)

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945)

  1. Japanese American internment → ~4 years (until end of WWII)
  2. Expanded federal power → Ongoing (set precedent for future administrations)
  3. Failed to address racial segregation → ~20 years (until Civil Rights Movement)

Harry S. Truman (1945–1953)

  1. Atomic bombings → Ongoing (ethical debates and nuclear arms race)
  2. Korean War → ~3 years (until armistice)
  3. Loyalty programs (Red Scare) → ~10 years (until McCarthyism waned)

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)

  1. Military-industrial complex → Ongoing (influence in U.S. policy)
  2. Limited civil rights action → ~10 years (until Civil Rights Act)
  3. Overthrew foreign governments → ~50 years (long-term instability in regions)

John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)

  1. Bay of Pigs Invasion → ~2 years (until Cuban Missile Crisis)
  2. Escalated Vietnam involvement → ~12 years (until end of Vietnam War)
  3. Limited civil rights progress → ~2 years (until Civil Rights Act)

Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)

  1. Escalated Vietnam War → ~6 years (until U.S. withdrawal)
  2. Great Society programs (unintended consequences) → ~20 years (debates over welfare)
  3. Ignored urban unrest → ~10 years (until urban policy reforms)

Richard Nixon (1969–1974)

  1. Watergate scandal → ~2 years (until resignation)
  2. Vietnam War continuation → ~4 years (until U.S. withdrawal)
  3. Expanded executive power → Ongoing (precedent for future administrations)

Gerald Ford (1974–1977)

  1. Pardoned Nixon → ~3 years (until end of term)
  2. Economic struggles (stagflation) → ~5 years (until economic recovery)
  3. Limited foreign policy achievements → ~4 years (until Carter's initiatives)

Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)

  1. Iran Hostage Crisis → ~1 year (until hostages released)
  2. Economic struggles (inflation) → ~4 years (until Reaganomics)
  3. Energy crisis → ~5 years (until energy policy reforms)

Ronald Reagan (1981–1989)

  1. Iran-Contra Affair → ~2 years (until investigations concluded)
  2. Increased national debt → Ongoing (long-term fiscal impact)
  3. Limited response to AIDS crisis → ~10 years (until increased awareness and funding)

George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)

  1. Gulf War aftermath → ~10 years (until Iraq War)
  2. Economic recession → ~4 years (until economic recovery)
  3. Limited domestic policy achievements → ~4 years (until Clinton's reforms)

Bill Clinton (1993–2001)

  1. Impeachment scandal → ~2 years (until end of term)
  2. NAFTA (job displacement) → ~20 years (ongoing debates)
  3. Welfare reform (unintended consequences) → ~10 years (until policy adjustments)

Written on Feb 1st, 2025