So, lopping off almost half of the original list, we need to come up with 49 replacements. Some are easy calls... James Madison, John Adams, and Lewis & Clark come to mind.
Others i'd choose...
§ John Hancock
§ Thomas Paine
§ Samuel Adams
§ US Grant
§ Robert E Lee
§ Daniel Webster
§ Andrew Jackson
§ Douglas Macarthur
§ Milton Friedman
§ George Gershwin
§ Irving Berlin
§ Ralph Waldo Emerson
§ William Booth (founded the Salvation Army)
That's only 28; 21 to go. Any other suggestions?
3 comments:
I'm assuming George Washington is on the list - my pick for greatest American. There's a lack of great athletes and businessmen on your list:
1) Lou Gehrig (great player who showed even greater courage and class)
2) Jesse Owens (showed the Nazis)
3) Ted Williams (greatest hitter ever and served his country in two wars during his athletic prime)
4) Jack Welch (I worked for him, believe me, he is the greatest business leader of our generation)
5) Henry Ford (championed mass production)
6) Vince Lombardi (set the standard for coaching excellence)
7) John Wooden (ditto)
8) Walter Johnson (puts modern day pitchers to shame with his skill, stamina, and ability to win without run support)
9) Babe Ruth (not the greatest role model, but he was larger than life, a baseball legend for all eternity)
10) Arnold Palmer (Arnie's Army - he was loved by golf fans)
11) Coach K (will not try to spell his name; West Point grad, patriot, capitalist, greatest basketball coach of his generation)
12) Tommy Franks (ground leader in the war on terror)
13) Dwight Eisenhower (an average President, but led the D-Day invasion and liberation of Europe)
14) Johnny Unitas (hero to blue collar football fans, led with skill and savvy for almost 20 years)
15) The American Soldier (always appreciated by his family, loved by the country during popular wars, but still doesn't get enough appreciation for defending America and the world against evil)
Thanks for commenting, Phil. You are indeed a great American, too. Seeing your list, you must have missed the opening list, which can be found further down the page, or it may be in the archives. Ford & Ruth, just to take 2 examples, are on the original list. I was commenting here on who should have made the list over some of the crazy selections.
OK I agree with most of what you say but, to suggest that Bobby Kennedy is a streech to be concidered one of the greatest americans is crazy. Robert F. Kennedy was to many the greatest political figure of the 20th century and his death was the beginning of the slow decline of america's grip on the moral high ground.
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