What is it? I’m Mr. Beat
At this point, I’ve managed to accomplish making a lot of videos about all of the American
Presidents. I’ve made videos about their pets… their kids…their wealth…their religion…their
education…even their favorite food and music. But one thing I HAVEN’T accomplished yet is just
straight up looking at their accomplishments. What did they get done while in
office that had the greatest impact? Well in this video we are going to look at the
biggest accomplishment of every American president while they were in office. (turns) but
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personal information has been compromised. (turning) Alright, back at it, lad You remember what this video is about,
precious, don’t you? It’s about every American president’s biggest accomplishment
while they were in office. (turning) But what does “biggest accomplishment”
mean? (turning) Well, it basically just means the one thing they did that had the greatest
positive impact on the greatest number of people. And when I say “greatest positive
impact on the greatest number of people,” I say it with my historian hat
on, looking at all of American history. Now, it has to be something they
accomplished WHILE in office so sorry William Henry Harrison. Oh geez what
am I going to say for William Henry Harrison. Mr. Terry: And what are you going to say for
Andrew Johnson? (eating popcorn possibly?) (scared) Aaah! Oh, hey Mr. Terry. What was that? Mr. Terry; Hi Mr. Beat. Sorry, I didn’t mean to
scare you. I thought you knew I was watching you. (turns and looks at camera to break fourth wall) I
said what are you going to say for Andrew Johnson? Mr. Beat: Oh geez what am I going
to say for Andrew Johnson? Uh, well you’ll just have to find out now, won’t you? (cut to Mr. Terry shaking his head) Mr. Beat: Well free to jump in if you
disagree with me on any of these, ok? Mr. Terry: You sure? I already
feel bad for interrupting you once Mr. Beat: Oh don’t feel bad. I only peed my pants
a little bit. Seriously, though, your expertise would be gladly welcomed by my audience. (turning
to camera to break fourth wall) Right, audience? Mr. Terry: Right on. Well let’s do this. Mr. Beat: Let’s do this! Here is every American president’s greatest accomplishment
while in office…in my opinion. Mr. Terry: In my opinion, too! Mr. Beat: Yes of course (stand there
awkwardly waiting for the curtain to come in) Curtain please (waving them) George Washington
The greatest accomplishment of Washington was making it clear what the role of the President
was. Sure, the U.S. Constitution laid it all out, but you know how people can interpret that
differently and stuff. Washington made it clear that he as President was not only the
head of state, but also the Commander in Chief in charge of all the armed forces. Not just the
armed forces, in fact- he was also in charge of all of the executive branch. Additionally,
while he couldn’t pass new laws, he certainly influenced Congress into passing new laws, as
well as vetoing two he didn’t like. Washington also made sure the President, as Head of State,
was the lead spokesperson for the entire country Even more specifically, though? The greatest thing
Washington did while in office was to quit. Yep, he made it clear he wasn’t a king,
voluntarily retiring at the end of his second term and setting a standard that future
Presidents would follow for years to come. John Adams
Although there’s a strong case to make that appointing John Marshall
to the Supreme Court was the most impactful positive thing Adams did while President, I’m
actually gonna go with The Convention of 1800 instead, which ended the Quasi-War and healed
relations between the United States and France. In fact, without John Adams’
biggest accomplishment, Thomas Jefferson’s biggest
accomplishment wouldn’t exist. Thomas Jefferson You probably already guessed this one,
but Jefferson’s biggest accomplishment was the Louisiana Purchase, as
unconstitutional as it maybe was. For just $15 million, Jefferson was able
to nearly double the size of the country and dramatically increased the
country’s power over the continent. While it had a positive impact long term
for many Americans, it IS important to recognize that it came at a great cost
to tens of thousands of Native Americans. James Madison
Madison’s significance to the United States is much
greater as a Founding Father, but as President he honestly didn’t have that
many accomplishments. Still, holding Great Britain back during the War of 1812 easily is
his biggest accomplishment in my opinion. The Americans were huge underdogs in that
war, and surviving the British threat indeed felt like a Second War of Independence and led to
sweeping patriotism and unity across the country. James Monroe
Well Monroe did sign the Missouri Compromise, which held the country together despite its
differences over slavery for the next 30 years, but I think Monroe’s biggest accomplishment
was no law he signed but just a bunch of words he said. The Monroe Doctrine, baby!
The Monroe Doctrine was basically a set of foreign policy principles that said that any intervention
in the political affairs of the Americas for foreign powers, ok mostly Europe, would be seen
as a hostile act. In other words, you mess with me and my neighbors to the south, we will come
after you my friend(in Scarface voice). Most historians say the Monroe Doctrine is a defining
moment in the history of American foreign policy, and it would heavily influence the foreign
policy of many Presidents who came after him. John Quincy Adams
Infrastructure, FTW. Adams was greatly influential
through his ambitious infrastructure projects to keep the country connected. In
particular, presiding over big repairs and further construction on the National Road
and the creation of a bunch of new canals. Andrew Jackson
Jackson is the only President in American history to pay off the national debt.
When he first took office, the national debt was $58 million. Six years later, he was
able to limit the spending of Congress so much that it was down to zero and there
was a surplus. So what did Jackson do with all the extra money that came in? Well he
divided among all the states, of course! Martin Van Buren
Van Buren helped end the Aroostook War between settlers of Maine and New
Brunswick. Bet you didn’t know that, did you? Huh? William Henry Harrison
Oh geez here it is. Uh, well his biggest accomplishment as President for those 31 days was
his great inauguration speech, the one in which he famously wore no coat and spoke longer than any
other President has at their inauguration in history? Oh I know, appointing Daniel Webster as
Secretary of State. That was a good pick. Whew. John Tyler I would say Tyler’s biggest accomplishment
was the annexation of Texas. He was a BIG reason why Texas joined the United States, and
remember it was an independent country at the time it did so. A shout out to Tyler, Texas,
by the way, a city named to honor him. James Polk While I don’t entirely approve of HOW he did
it, overall Polk’s biggest accomplishment was acquiring more territory for the United States
than any other President in history. First, through carrying out the annexation of Texas.
Next, through aggressively getting the United States involved in a war with Mexico that got
the country all this out here. And finally, negotiating a treaty with Great Britain to secure
Oregon Territory. Sea to shining sea, indeed. Zachary Taylor
I would argue that Taylor’s biggest accomplishment was making sure
California would be admitted to the Union as a free state. Although he was a slaveowner himself,
he was against the expansion of slavery out west, and as more and more Southerners threated to
leave the Union over the issue of slavery, he increasingly sided with anti-slavery Northerners
during his Presidency. Because of him, California skipped over becoming a federal
territory because he knew that otherwise Congress would just endlessly fight about
whether or not slavery should be legal there. Millard Fillmore Fillmore and his Secretary of State Daniel Webster
organized and sent out the Perry Expedition, which opened relations between Japan and the outside
world. The expedition ultimately led to an end to Japan’s 220-year old policy of isolation. Not only
did it lead to diplomatic relations between Japan and the United States, but it led to diplomatic
relations between Japan and most of Europe. Franklin Pierce
How about the Gadsden Purchase? Pierce arranged for it to be bought from Mexico for a fairly
cheap price and it provided a great strip of land to build a transcontinental railroad while also
resolving border disputes that had been ongoing. Today, 1.8 million Americans live in that area
and it remains an important part of the country. Although I must give a shout out to Pierce
also for his aggressive lowering of tariffs which lowered the cost of doing business
and made stuff cheaper for consumers. James Buchanan
There weren’t many accomplishments, but I think Buchanan’s biggest was establishing
more federal control over Utah Territory in what became known as the Utah War. I still
think Brigham Young was the worst governor in American history, and it was ultimately a
good thing that Buchanan got him out of there. Abraham Lincoln
Uh keeping the country together? Hello? In addition to preserving the Union with his
leadership during the Civil War, I’d say Lincoln’s biggest accomplishment was ending slavery.
First, with his Emancipation Proclamation, and second with everything he was able
to do behind the scenes to get the 13th Amendment passed, as seen in the wonderful film
named….The 13th Amendment. Uh, or I mean Lincoln! Andrew Johnson
Again, not many accomplishments during Johnson’s presidency, either. But I suppose give
him credit for the Purchase of Alaska from Russia. In my opinion, it was another great bargain
that benefited the United States long term. Ulysses Grant
Grant actually had quite a bit of accomplishments while he was President, but I
say his efforts to help African Americans remain at the top. His push for the passing of the
15th Amendment, his signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1875, and his success hunting down
and prosecuting members of the KKK during Reconstruction make him one of the strongest
allies of African Americans during the 1800s. Rutherford Hayes
Hayes’ biggest accomplishment was getting the ball rolling with civil service reform. Instead of
giving federal jobs to his political supporters, he had a policy of giving them jobs based
on whether or not they were…wait for it now…qualified. And when Congress was
slow to act on civil service reform, Hayes issued an executive order that prohibited
federal office holders from having to make campaign contributions or being politically
active in order to work in the federal government. James Garfield Uh, he was only in office a few months, but still,
he took what Hayes did with civil service reform and cranked it up to 11. Even though it
became a law after his assassination, I’d argue the Pendelton Civil Service
Reform Act was mostly because of him. Chester Arthur
Arthur is a big reason why the United States Navy became a lot stronger.
Since the Civil War, American naval power had dramatically declined, but Arthur almost
single handedly reversed that trend. Grover Cleveland
I think Cleveland’s biggest accomplishment was related to not what
he DID do, but what he DIDN’T do. He weakened the power of the Presidency. I think that’s a
good thing. Time and time again throughout his Presidency, when many called for him to act, he
essentially responded by saying the Constitution didn’t allow him to do so. As commander-in-chief,
when imperialists wanted him to take over Hawaii and Cuba, he resisted. I think this constraint is
noble, and not seen by many American Presidents. Benjamin Harrison
Hands down, Harrison’s biggest accomplishment was signing the Sherman
Antitrust Act, which was the first big law to fight trusts, monopolies, and cartels in
order to increase economic competitiveness. William McKinley
Many don’t realize this, but McKinley set the stage for the Panama
Canal existing. He was very hands-on in the planning process, even though it wouldn’t
be completed until 13 years after his death. Theodore Roosevelt
There were sooo many big accomplishments during Teddy’s
Presidency, but I’ll go with his influence and signing of both the Federal Meat Inspection
Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act. Together, those laws have been EXTREMELY
influential protecting us as consumers. William Taft
While Roosevelt is known as the trust-buster President, Taft nearly doubled the
number of antitrust lawsuits of Roosevelt…and he did that in JUST ONE TERM. Also, a shout out out
his Dollar Diplomacy foreign policy, which sought to expand American influence overseas not through
military force, but through economic incentives. Woodrow Wilson
I’m a big fan of Wilson’s Fourteen Points, a list of principles he created to influence peace
negotiations at the end of World War One. They promoted stuff like free trade, open agreements,
democracy around the world, and something known as self-determination, which means people around
the world ought to determine who rules over them. Basically, Wilson promoting self-determination
was him strongly rejecting imperialism. Even though some folks laughed at Wilson’s Fourteen
Points at the time, calling them too “idealistic,” today they are mainstream ideals which ultimately
are a big reason why the United Nations exists. Warren Harding
Harding signed the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921, which created the
country’s first formal budgeting process and put the President in charge of budget planning. I’m
sorry Harding, that was kind of boring for you. Calvin Cooldige
I think Coolidge’s biggest accomplishment was signing the
which recognized that any person born in the United States was a citizen. It was
passed after, for years, courts had not recognized Native Americans as citizens and
therefore not protected by the U.S. Constitution. Herbert Hoover
I just don’t know. Hoover’s not giving me much to work with, ok? Uh, I guess
the three Supreme Court justices he nominated- Charles Evans Hughes, Owen Roberts, and Benjamin
Cardozo, were all pretty good, so kudos to that. Franklin Roosevelt Obviously, FDR had sooo many big accomplishments,
so it is really difficult for me to pick just one, but I guess I’ll go with his signing of the
Social Security Act, which created the Social Security program that so many Americans seem to
take for granted today. Over time, it has led to a dramatic decline in poverty among the elderly.
Overall, though, you can’t deny his effective leadership during the Great Depression and World
War Two. He got us through some really dark times. Harry Truman
The Marshall Plan, for real. The Truman administration transferred
more than $115 billion in today’s money to European countries devastated by World
War Two. Its goals were not only to rebuild war-torn regions, but also to remove
trade barriers, modernize industry, restore European prosperity, and prevent the
spread of communism, and I’d argue it was one of the most effective programs ever
implemented by the United States government in history. And its political effects were
arguably more important than its economic effects. Dwight Eisenhower
I think Eisenhower’s biggest accomplishment was his
massive role in the creation of the Interstate Highway System. I got a whole
video here about it if you want to learn more. But don’t leave yet now, don’t you know that
there’s other Presidents after Eisenhower? John F. Kennedy
Well you could say avoiding World War Three with his
handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis, but I’ll go with his civil rights efforts. Before
his death, JFK proposed a huge civil rights bill that ultimately became the Civil Rights Act of
1964. Oh, and a shout out to the Peace Corps, which JFK established. It’s just a wonderful
program that really helps so many people. Lyndon Johnson
LBJ also got a LOT done while he was President, especially with civil
rights, but I’m gonna go with him signing the Social Security Amendments of 1965, which created
both Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare is a health insurance program that provides cheap coverage for
the elderly, while Medicaid is a health insurance program that provides cheap coverage for those
with lower income. Both programs have helped tens of millions of Americans have access to quality
healthcare who otherwise would NOT have access. Both programs have also led to healthcare
innovation and increased medical standards. Richard Nixon Nixon’s policy of détente, or a more flexible
policy of negotiation to ease relations with both the Soviet Union and China during the Cold
War, was brilliant. I actually think it the most effective thing any President had done up to that
point to set the stage for the Cold War coming to an end. Also, did you know that all the moon
landings happened during Nixon’s time in office? Gerald Ford
How about the Privacy Act of 1974? Ford signed that. It’s
one of the few laws in American history that even attempts to protect the personal records of
Americans from being exploited by the government. Jimmy Carter
I’d say the biggest accomplishment of Carter while he was President
is something usually attributed to his successor, Ronald Reagan: the deregulation of several
industries. With Carter’s signing of the Airline Deregulation Act, the Motor
Carrier Act, the Staggers Rail Act, and Depository Institutions Deregulation and
Monetary Control Act, he helped make markets become more competitive than arguably
most Presidents before him. (say what?) Ronald Reagan
Reagan’s biggest accomplishment was convincing the world that the
Soviet Union was a failed state, and he indeed was a big influence on the fall of the Soviet
Union. Ya can’t deny that. His relationship with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was
particularly an instrumental part of this. George H.W. Bush
Although you could say the Gulf War was quite a smashing success as far as wars go, I
hate to say a war is his biggest accomplishment, so I’ll go with Bush’s signing of the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which has led to dramatic improvements regarding
access and accommodations to public services and facilities for those with disabilities. This is
another law we greatly take for granted today. Bill Clinton
Well let’s keep the laws we take for granted today theme going here
with the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. Bill Clinton signed that. Well he did! It makes
it so that employers have to provide employees with job-protected, unpaid leave for certain
medical and family reasons. In other words, you can’t get fired for taking time off to
take care of your sick mother, for example. George W. Bush
As many mistakes as Bush, Jr. made throughout his Presidency, I’ve never denied that he was a good
leader. He was! So his biggest accomplishment? Keeping the country united, focused, determined,
and even hopeful after the horrific 9/11 attacks. Sure, things went chaotic and divisive once he
made the decision to invade Iraq, but before that, Bush’s leadership regarding going after suspected
terrorists around the world was phenomenal. Barack Obama
Obamacare, duh! Obama spearheaded and signed the law, named after
him but also known as the Affordable Care Act, which dramatically increased the amount of
Americans who had health insurance. While the law was far from perfect, most Americans have
appreciated it since it has made it so that health insurance is more affordable to lower income
families and made it so that health insurance MUST cover them regardless of preexisting conditions. I
recently learned that there is some evidence that Obamacare has actually helped reduce healthcare
costs overall although the Heritage Foundation found the opposite to be true so I don’t know.
The Heritage Foundation, you love them, don’t you. Donald Trump
Trump’s biggest accomplishment was his signing of the First
Step Act, one of the biggest criminal justice reform laws in American history. It reformed
federal prisons and reversed harsh sentencing laws and basically just made it less likely for
folks to go to federal prison for stupid stuff. Joe Biden
Well, he’s only been in office for a year and a half at this
point, but I’d say his biggest accomplishment, at least so far, is bringing the troops
home from Afghanistan. Now, HOW it went obviously was a disaster, but at
least he had the courage to do it. Remember though, it’s extremely difficult to not
be biased one way or the other regarding whoever the current President in office is, and I’m
sure one day my opinion will change, of course. So there it is. There was the biggest
accomplishment, in my opinion, of every American President while they were in office.
Thanks to Mr. Terry for hopping in from time to time in this video, and make sure you
subscribe to his channel if you haven’t already! It was noice having him disagree with me on
some of these. I love it when people disagree with me. It gives me an opportunity
to have my mind changed, and my mind has changed many times over the years. In fact,
as big an accomplishment as it was to complete this video, I may end up changing my mind so
much that I may have to remake it someday. Still…what an accomplishment it was! And I
was able to accomplish making this due to you watching at home, but also my Patreon supporters.
Speaking of which, here is my monthly shout out to all my Patreon supporters who donate at
least $15 or more each month to my channel. Starting with my biggest donors, thank you to
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