TL;DR – Franklin Roosevelt (FDR) changed the discourse of U.S. politics and his influence is more notable than Lincoln and Washington. His expansion of the executive branch through federal and increasing America’s global presence led to many of the debates and policies now surrounding American politics. This is not to say he was a better president, but his legacy covers almost every aspect of American politics. The 32nd U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933-1945) is considered one of the best along with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson [1]. Though many still do not consider him to stand equal ground amongst the founding fathers and framers of the constitution; FDR’s challenging presidency redefined the function of the executive branch into what it is today [2]. Roosevelt got elected after the stock market crash of 1929 which led to the Great Depression. The scale of this problem was unseen; between the peak and the downturn, industrial production in the United States declined 47 percent and GDP fell 30 percent [3]. Compared to his predecessors who usually took a backseat to the economy, Roosevelt drastically expanded the scope of the executive branch to fight the depression by implementing federal programs: -Relief programs and reforming the banking system. -Regulated farming production to avoid overproduction and provide compensation. -Provided federal jobs for the unemployed in infrastructure and public works. -Federal guaranteed financial assistance. These policies are known as the New Deal and change the discourse of American politics as they redefine the federal government's relationship with its citizens. Many of these policies are part of the American way of life: Federally guaranteed deposits, social security, public housing programs, employment services, self-governing for indigenous tribes, and so on [4]. The New Deal inspired later policies that sought to use the federal government to improve the lives of individuals with Medicare and Medicaid, Civil Rights Act, Federal Highway Act, Environmental legislation, etc. however this also led to the ongoing debate on the scope of the federal government and interfering itself too much in our lives. FDR also remains influential around the world changing the United States relationship with the rest of the world. Aside from being president for most of World War II, he along with the rest of the allies founded the United Nations, with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt being an influential figure in the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These new approaches to international politics officially ended the United States' isolationist approach to global affairs [5]. Again, it's impossible to list how influential Roosevelt was here: construction of the Pentagon, modeling intelligence service after the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) which led to the creation of the CIA, the Manhattan Project, and Bretton Woods Conference which founded the World Bank and IMF, so on. Other Presidents like Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt also had attempted to increase federal authority, but large-scale involvement in economic activity and social reform did not become an expectation for the Federal government nor it intended to get involved in every aspect of American life until FDR [5][6]. While others like Woodrow Wilson attempted to promote U.S. involvement in foreign affairs, FDR led the U.S. into hegemonic superpower status. Though the founding presidents legitimized the presidency and stated the limits of executive power, the presidential expectation to be accountable for many aspects of American life has been mostly influenced by FDR’s expansion to federal authority. [1] An Economic Ranking of the US Presidents, 1789–2009: A Data-Based Approach. PS: Political Science and Politics http://www.jstor.org/stable/41691393 [2] “The Contemporary Presidency": Rating the Presidents: A Tracking Study. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 33(3), 625-634. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27552516 [3] Great Depression https://www.britannica.com/event/Great-Depression [4] New Deal Programs https://livingnewdeal.org/what-was-the-new-deal/programs/ [5] The foreign policy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_policy_of_the_Franklin_D._Roosevelt_administration [6] Liberalism in America: A Note for Europeans http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/schleslib.html [7] FDR: The President Who Made America Into a Superpower https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/ken-walshs-washington/2015/04/10/fdr-franklin-delano-roosevelt-made-america-into-a-superpower

**TL;DR- The influence of Franklin D Roosevelt was definitely huge, however I don't think he was the most influential president. My main reason for this is because I think that it's impossible to place all the US presidents together, all from different time periods, and different social/economic climates, and decide who the *most* influential was.** Roosevelt had influence in terms of inciting great change through the New Deal, etc. But the influence he had can't be compared to presidents from different times, when America was in different situations. An example of this would be when the USA was 'born' in the late eighteenth century. During this time, Washington's influence was just as big as Roosevelt's, yet in different ways. He may not have been as morally good as Roosevelt, but the influence he had at the time was immense, and cannot be measured against Roosevelt's impact because of these different time frames and different Americas. The impact that Kennedy had is another example of why the US presidents can't be compared to one another. The Cold War was at a high point during his presidency- one of the most crucial events of the twentieth century. Also, the impact his assassination had on the west was huge. However again, this is a different kind of influence on the world- you can't exactly compare the impact of JFK's assassination to Washington's 'building' of the USA, or Roosevelt's actions after the Great Depression. Yes Roosevelt initiated some invaluable changes to the country, and Eleanor Roosevelt was highly influential also. But she was not her husband, and of all the US presidents were influential in some way or the other. The influence each one had was very different though, making it very difficult to measure them against each other.

I think that Barack Obama was the most influential U.S. President. I believe this because, as the 44th elected President of the US in 2008, he set a new precedent for racial equality in the American political sphere, as the first African-American US President. I think this was reflected by how the electorate in the 2008 presidential election was the most racially and ethnically diverse in U.S. history at the time. To me, this shows how influential Barack Obama was even before he got elected, as he represented hope and change for many people - some who previously had never turned out to vote. This is why I think Barack Obama was the most influential U.S. president! References: https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/2009/04/30/dissecting-the-2008-electorate-most-diverse-in-us-history/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/barack-obama/

**TL;DR - The most influential President will depend on which group of people are asked and what issues are being discussed. Therefore, I do not believe any one President can be seen as more influential overall than others.** For the LGBTQ+ community and LGBTQ+ issues, one of the most influential Presidents was Jimmy Carter. In 1977, Carter invited the first gay and lesbian delegation to the White House to discuss policy issues with administration officials. In 1978, he urged voters to defeat Proposition 6, a.k.a. the Briggs Initiative, which would have barred gays and lesbians from teaching in the state’s public schools — and the proposition was voted down. When he ran for re-election in 1980, he agreed to a gay rights plank in the Democratic Party which was a first. Since leaving the White House, Carter has been a prominent activist in support of LGBT rights. He has famously said, “I never knew of any word or action of Jesus Christ that discriminated against anyone,” and has endorsed marriage equality. Additionally, the election of Obama as the first black President has sparked conversation regarding the need for racial representation within American politics. According to Pew Research, four-in-ten Black adults said that working to get more Black people elected to office would be a very effective tactic for groups striving to help Black Americans achieve equality. Obama's election has also paved the way for the election of Kamala Harris and a more diverse government to represent more of the American population instead of the few. Resulting from this, Obama has been one of the most influential American President's in terms of racial issues and racial equality. Therefore, depending on what group of people is asked and on what issues affect that particular group results in differing opinions on who the most influential President is. I don't believe you can categorically say one President is more influential than another as the question then arises; for who?. Instead it depends on what issues are being discussed and on what issues affect the people who are being asked. Resources: https://www.advocate.com/politics/politicians/2015/02/16/11-most-significant-presidents-lgbt-americans?pg=1#article-content https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/01/22/black-americans-have-made-gains-in-u-s-political-leadership-but-gaps-remain/