The third Monday of every February is Presidents’ Day, established in 1880 for Washington’s Birthday, Feb. 22. Since 1971, however, the federal holiday has been recognized as a celebration of all presidents.
This year, Presidents’ Day has become the backdrop of scrutiny over President Trump’s return to office. As we continue to debate presidential legacies, we asked Portola High students and staff for their opinions: who deserves to be called a good president?
For social studies teacher Taryn Sorrentino, the answer is Franklin D. Roosevelt, a president elected for an unprecedented four terms.
“He definitely shifted the perspective of the role of the president and also the role of government,” Sorrentino said. “He started what we know of today as a social safety net—the government providing help and relief to citizens without just relying on rugged individualism or private charity.”
Roosevelt is known for steering the country through both the Great Depression and World War II, according to Sorrentino. Yet, his presidency was also criticized for shortcomings in racial equality, such as the forced internment of Japanese Americans and pressure from southern Democrats to ignore anti-lynching bills.
According to junior Alex Lingerfelt, who wrote a book overviewing all 46 Presidents, historically controversial presidents such as Richard Nixon and Lyndon B. Johnson should not be ignored either.
“People know [Nixon] for Watergate which shattered the trust of the presidency for the time,” Lingerfelt said. ‘But some significant things he did which still affect us is he was the president who opened up China to the U.S.”
Though a free market advocate, Nixon implemented sweeping policies when necessary to avoid recession, according to Lingerfelt. His administration also had a strong record with environmental policy. Furthermore, Johnson’s Civil Rights Act and Great Society programs embraced progressive action toward a more equal society, making him one of the most profound recent presidents, according to Lingerfelt.
As for social studies teacher Wind Ralston, Theodore Roosevelt is his pick. During a time of unrestrained capitalism, Roosevelt carefully regulated but did not stifle the economy.
“He was able to play the middle ground, realizing that the US’s economic engine needed to grow, but that unfettered capitalism would lead to its downfall,” Ralston said.
Roosevelt was also the first to begin preserving the wild through national parks. Internationally, he projected strength that helped counterweight other superpowers in the West, according to Ralston.
Each president has also brought something different to the presidency itself, whether through personality or legacy. Some, such as Franklin Roosevelt, were symbols of stability and comfort to the American people during hard times, according to Sorrentino. Others, such as Johnson, were egotistical, yet could play their ambition to their favor, according to Lingerfelt. And some, such as Teddy Roosevelt, triumphed despite childhood shortcomings, according to Ralston.
“Roosevelt was a rancher, he was the head of the police commission, he quit his job as the secretary of the assistant secretary of the Navy to enlist in the Spanish-American War,” Ralston said. “From childhood accounts, he was just a weak little kid. And then you look at him and can’t imagine that that little weak little kid became such a ‘man’s man’ of the early 1900s.”
Presidents, despite their short time in office, have incredibly controversial legacies. Yet, there is often more to their story than we think, according to Lingerfelt.
“Remember when you’re looking at these presidents, include the whole picture of them,” Lingerfelt said. “The good, the bad. They’re all individuals. They have their faults. They have their strengths. And they’re all human like us.”
