网帖翻译

Elijah Daneel
I’m going to tweak this question a bit (or a lot, to some extent and say: most important) Washington by a GIGANTIC margin. I respect those who disagree. I’m well aware even that respected historians disagree with me, and I’m not going to edit my credentials to claim I’m a history professor. I will claim I’m somewhat of an “arm chair historian”, and I wrote my master’s thesis at Columbia on the founding fathers’, so while I’m not a professor I know more than someone who got all their info on Wikipedia or even a few excellent biographies of other presidents. Washington was first among equals of a group of unbelievably brilliant men; men responsible for drafting a document that has lasted hundreds of years with significant but relatively few amendments.
To paraphrase Ron Chernow (who I would never dare call a colleague or close friend, but he was an acquaintance for years in NYC and I learned a great deal from him beyond what I read in his books, all of which I HIGHLY recommend) Washington basically created the executive branch by himself. 90% of how the president is supposed to act were invented, or at the very least led by example by him. Without help? Of course not, and there are a million great books explaining why. Better yet if you have a great history professor speak to them about it, a truly brilliant professor can explain the complexities to you much better than even the best biographies can, much less an idiot on on quora like me :).

我要稍微调整一下这个问题(或者在某种程度上，调整一下)：(最重要的是)华盛顿以巨大的优势获胜。我尊重持不同意见的人。我很清楚，即使是受人尊敬的历史学家也不同意我的观点，我不会编辑我的证书来声称我是一名历史教授。我可以说我是一个“坐在扶手椅上的历史学家”，我在哥伦比亚大学写的硕士论文是关于开国元勋们的，所以，虽然我不是教授，但我知道的比那些从维基百科或其他几位总统的优秀传记上获得所有信息的人要多。华盛顿是一群才华横溢的人中的佼佼者;负责起草一份历经数百年的重要但相对较少修改的文件的人。
套用罗恩·切尔诺(Ron Chernow，我从来不敢称他为同事或亲密朋友，但他是我在纽约多年的熟人，我从他那里学到了很多东西，超出了我在他的书中读到的东西，我强烈推荐所有这些书)的话来说，华盛顿基本上是自己创建了行政部门。总统应该如何行事中的90%的内容都是由他编写的，或者至少是由他以身作则。没有获得其他人的帮助？那当然不是，有无数本好书解释了其中的原因。如果你能与一位伟大的历史教授谈论这件事，那再好不过了；一位真正才华横溢的教授可以比最佳的传记更好地向你解释其复杂性，像我这样的白痴了更少无法与之相比了）。
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The same applies to his presidency. It was a role he never wanted. He wanted to go back to his wife and planation and live out a peaceful life there. He became president because the country WOULD have fallen apart without him, and he was too honorable to let that happen. Just as in war he was the only man alive who commanded universal respect. Without his leadership USA probably wouldn’t even exist today in its current form because of the warring factions at the time. He’s THE founding father, period. His contemporaries almost universally agreed.
As for the greatest let me just point out the most important part of his legacy, one which (putting aside another great president, has never been broken). He not just had the power to stay on indefinitely and form a quasi monarchy. Rather he was BEGGED to stay on…and he walked away. He still provided a great deal of important help and advice to the still fragile government, but he refused to be a new king. He gave his farewell address (the vast majority of which is still relevant and predicted the current state of America and applies today) and relinquished his power because he believed in a republican government.
That, my friends, is the definition of greatness.

这同样适用于他的总统任期。这是他从未想要的角色。他想回到他的妻子和他的农场，在那里过平静的生活。他之所以成为总统，是因为没有他这个国家就会分崩离析，而他太可敬了，不会让这种情况发生。就像在战争中一样，他是活着的唯一一个受到普遍尊重的人。如果没有他的领导，因为交战的派系的缘故，美国可能甚至不会以目前的形式存在。他是开国之父。与他同时代的人几乎一致同意此观点。
至于最伟大的总统，让我指出他遗产中最重要的部分，这一部分（抛开另一位伟大的总统不谈，从未被打破）。他本有权无限期地执政并建立一个准君主政体，他在卸任时被要求留下来。他仍然为仍然脆弱的政府提供了大量重要的帮助和建议，但他拒绝成为新一任“总统”。他发表了告别演说（其中绝大多数仍然相关，预测了美国的现状，并适用于今天），并放弃了权力，因为他相信共和党政府。
朋友们，这就是伟大的定义。

Cay Brown
Who are the top 10 US presidents?
We have had some incredible men serve as our president. They were men of character and intelligence, from different political parties, and from many different backgrounds.
This is obviously a highly subjective question, but I’ve tried to be as obxtive as I possibly can.
1 . Abraham Lincoln
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.”
It’s no surprise that Lincoln comes first on this list. Without Lincoln, it’s likely the United States would not exist as we know it. He is responsible for the unx remaining together and even though we know the abolition of slavery was not his top priority, he was largely responsible for it. Lincoln was magnanimous. He was a master in dealing with people, and time and time again he made his enemy his friend. He was honest and always tried to do what was best for America.

美国前十大总统是谁？
有一些了不起的人担任过我们的总统。他们都是有品格和智慧的人，来自不同的政党，来自许多不同的背景。
这显然是一个非常主观的问题，但我尽可能客观。
亚伯拉罕·林肯
“几乎所有的人都能忍受逆境，但如果你想测试一个人的性格，就给他权力。”
林肯在这份榜单上排名第一并不奇怪。如果没有林肯，美国很可能就不会像我们所知道的那样存在。他在团结联邦方面起着非常重要的作用，尽管我们知道废除奴隶制不是他的首要任务，但他在很大程度上在这方面发挥了作用。林肯宽宏大量，他与人打交道方面是一位大师，一次又一次地把敌人当成朋友。他很诚实，总是努力做对美国最有利的事情。

2. George Washington
“I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.”
We can all be thankful our first president was this principled man. In elementary school we learned that George Washington, when offered a third term, declined in order to establish a precedent for the future holders of the highest office in the land. The presidency was not to be a throne from which to govern, a Washington monarchy, or a pedestal to sit upon and look down at the citizens of its country, but an office in which a person is elected by the people, to serve the people. Things could be very different today if a less disciplined man than Washington had been our first president.

乔治·华盛顿
“我希望我足够坚定和拥有美德，以保持我认为最令人羡慕的头衔——诚实的品格。”
我们都应该感谢我们的第一任总统，他就是这样一个有原则的人。在小学时，我们了解到乔治·华盛顿在获得第三个任期时拒绝了，目的是为未来担任美国最高职位的人开创先例。总统不是用来统治国家的宝座，不是华盛顿的王座，也不是一个坐在上面俯视本国公民的基座，而是一个由人民选举产生的为人民服务的职位。如果我们的第一任总统是一个比华盛顿更不守纪律的人，那么今天的情况可能会大不相同。

3. Franklin D. Roosevelt
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
FDR was a great leader. He brought us out of the Great Depression and through World War II. His fireside chats gave him a relationship with citizens unlike what any of his predecessors had. He spoke directly to the people, and the people trusted him.
4. Thomas Jefferson
“I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.”
This author of The Declaration of Independence was a philosopher, statesman, and a very good president. With the Louisiana Purchase, the size of the U.S. doubled under his leadership, and his brilliant mind shaped our nation from its earliest days.

富兰克林罗斯福
“我们唯一要害怕的就是恐惧本身。”
罗斯福是一位伟大的领袖。他带领我们走出了大萧条，度过了第二次世界大战。他的炉边谈话使他与公民建立了一种不同于任何前任的关系。他直接对人民讲话，人民信任他。
托马斯·杰斐逊
“我在上帝的祭坛上发誓，永远反对对人类思想的任何形式的暴政。”
他是《独立宣言》的作者，他是一位哲学家、政治家，也是一位非常优秀的总统。随着收购路易斯安那州，美国的国土面积在他的领导下翻了一番，他的聪明才智从最早的时候就塑造了我们的国家。

5) Harry S Truman
“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”
Harry Truman became president at one of the most crucial and challenging moments in our nations history. He took over for a hugely popular president who had just passed, and had to make many highly controversial decisions at the end of World War II . Though still controversial today, history tells us he made wise decisions, and we can be glad he was in power at that time.
6) Ronald Reagan
“There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.”
Ronald Reagan was inspiring, optimistic, and charming, but when it came down to it, his presidency was much more than that. His administration created 16 million new jobs, fueled a 2 decade long economic boom, and his diplomatic skills were largely instrumental in bringing an end to a Cold War that had been plaguing Americans for over 40 years. Reagan was the right man at the right time.

哈里·S·杜鲁门
“美国不是建立在恐惧之上的。美国是建立在勇气、想象力和完成手头工作的不可战胜的决心之上的。”
哈里·杜鲁门在我们国家历史上最关键、最具挑战性的时刻成为总统。他接替了一位刚刚去世的非常受欢迎的总统，在第二次世界大战结束时，他不得不做出许多极具争议的决定。尽管今天仍有争议，但历史告诉我们，他做出了明智的决定，我们可以为他当时掌权感到高兴。
罗纳德·里根
“没有简单的答案，但有简明的答案。我们必须有勇气去做我们知道在道德上是正确的事情。”
罗纳德·里根鼓舞人心，乐观而迷人，但归根结底，他的总统任期远不止于此。他的政府创造了1600万个新工作岗位，推动了长达20年的经济繁荣，他的外交技巧在结束困扰美国人40多年的冷战方面发挥了很大作用。里根是正确时间的正确人选。

7) Theodore Roosevelt
The youngest president the United States has ever had didn’t do too poorly, I would say. We can thank Teddy Roosevelt for advocating for child labor laws, women’s suffrage, an 8 hour work day.
8) Dwight D. Eisenhower
“There is nothing wrong with America that faith, love of freedom, intelligence, and energy of her citizens cannot cure.”
Perhaps Eisenhower’s greatest accomplishment as president was keeping America at peace. He was faced all throughout his presidency with things that could have easily escalated into a war should someone without such a level head been in charge. Alongside this, the economic prosperity of the 1950s can be largely attributed to his policies.

西奥多·罗斯福
我想说这位美国历史上最年轻的总统做得并不差。我们应该感谢泰迪·罗斯福，他倡导了童工法、妇女选举权、8小时工作制。
德怀特·艾森豪威尔
“美国没有一个问题是她的公民的信仰、对自由的热爱、智慧和活力所不能治愈的”
也许艾森豪威尔作为总统最大的成就是保持了美国的和平。他在整个总统任期内都面临着一些事情，如果没有这样一个头脑冷静的人掌权，这些事情很容易升级为一场战争。除此之外，20世纪50年代的经济繁荣在很大程度上要归功于他的政策。

9) John F. Kennedy
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
JFK is oft thought of as the young, charismatic man who’s life was so tragically ended that fateful day in Dallas. Kennedy, though, does indeed deserve a place on this list for reasons other than that. He gets major points here for his handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis, thus avoiding a nuclear war. He also aspired to put an end to racial discrimination, backing civil rights and racial integration. Without the inspiring John F. Kennedy, we may not have been the ones to put a man on the moon.
10) Bill Clinton
“There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.”
Bill Clinton may be most widely known for a certain scandal that occurred during his administration, but the facts show that Bill Clinton was a good president. This is mostly evidenced by looking at the economy during his tenure. He created over 22 million new jobs, unemployment was at the lowest it had been in 30 years, and it was the lowest poverty rate that had been seen in 20 years. He had a very high approval rating when he left office.
That’s my list.

约翰·肯尼迪
“变化是生活的规律。那些只关注过去或现在的人肯定会错过未来。”
肯尼迪通常被认为是一个年轻、有魅力的人，他的生命在达拉斯那致命的一天悲惨地结束了。然而，肯尼迪确实应该在这个名单上占有一席之地，原因不止于此。他在处理古巴导弹危机，从而避免了一场核战争方面值得大肆称赞。他还渴望结束种族歧视，支持民权和种族融合。如果没有鼓舞人心的 约翰·肯尼迪，我们可能就不会把人送上月球。
比尔·克林顿
“美国没有任何问题不能被正确的东西所治愈。”
比尔·克林顿可能因其执政期间发生的某桩丑闻而广为人知，但事实表明，比尔·克林顿是一位优秀的总统。这主要可以从他任职期间的经济状况中得到证明。他创造了2200多万个新工作岗位，失业率处于30年来的最低水平，贫困率也是20年来最低。他离任时获得了很高的支持率。
这是我的清单。

Logan Flowers
The primary author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson.
Why? I will get straight to the point. Here are his major accomplishments while in office, all of which were great for the country:
He banned the importation of slaves, hindering the international slave trade, and giving us the first step to the eventual dissolve of slavery.
He defeated the Barbary pirates, despite shrinking our military.
He nearly double the size of the US with the Louisiana Purchase.
Additionally, he blocked the institution of slavery from spreading into this new land.
He drastically reduced the national debt, cutting it in half before the Louisiana Purchase (which even after that, it was still drastically lower than it was when he took office).
He repealed the unconstitutional Alien and Sedition Acts, and pardoned those wrongfully jailed because of them.

《独立宣言》的主要作者，托马斯·杰斐逊。
为什么？我就开门见山了。以下是他在任期间的主要成就，这些成就对国家来说都是伟大的:
他禁止进口奴隶，阻碍了国际奴隶贸易，为我们最终废除奴隶制迈出了第一步。
他尽管缩减了我们的军队规模，但是打败了巴巴里海盗。
通过收购路易斯安那州，他让美国国土面积翻翻。
此外，他还阻止奴隶制制度在这片新土地上蔓延。
他大幅削减了国债，在购买路易斯安那州之前将其削减了一半（即使在那之后，国债仍大幅低于他上任时的水平）。
他废除了违反宪法的《外国人和煽动叛乱法》，并赦免了那些因此而被错误监禁的人。

He abolished all taxes.
He shrank the federal government by getting rid of “unnecessary offices” and “useless establishments”.
Founded West Point (or, as it was called at the time, the United States Military Academy at West Point).
He also encouraged and managed to convince most states to remove the voters restriction on owning land, allowing many more citizens to vote (though, some of these states ended up doing so after his presidency).
And the key to this is that he did all of this in line with the Constitution. He never overstepped his bounds, as many modern presidents do. He was able to protect the Constitution, as all presidents swear (or vow) to do, and still accomplish so much to further our country. Truly an incredible President.

他废除了所有的税收。
他通过取消“不必要的办公室”和“无用的机构”来缩减联邦政府。
成立西点军校（当时被称为美国西点军校）。
他还鼓励并设法说服大多数州取消选民对拥有土地的限制，允许更多的公民投票（不过，在他担任总统后，其中一些州最终这样做了）。
关键是，他所做的一切都符合宪法。他从未像许多现代总统那样越界。他能够像所有总统宣誓（或发誓）要做的那样保护宪法，并且仍然带领我们的国家取得了巨大成就，真是一位令人难以置信的总统。

I would say that the biggest blot on his presidency was, of course, the Embargo Act, which ended up being quite a disaster. However, this wasn’t necessarily Jefferson’s fault, nor was it exactly something he could avoid. Despite many seeing him as a Francophile, he refused to take sides in the war between Britain and France, following cues from Washington (though he initially disagreed with this position). Both countries tried to bully the US into joining their side, and Britain was actually capturing American ships. To furthermore declare American neutrality and prevent the further capture of American ships, he declared that America would have no business in trading with either country. Unfortunately, northern traders most likely wouldn’t be able to survive if this were the case, so they largely ignored the Act and turned to smuggling. Because of this, neither Britain or France were harmed by the act, and therefore it did not succeed in its purpose.
HMM, turns out my answer did turn out to be rather long. I tend to start rambling when I get on the subject of Jefferson.

我想说，他总统任期内最大的污点当然是《禁运法案》，它最终成为了一场灾难。然而，这不一定是杰斐逊的错，也不是他可以避免的。尽管许多人认为他是亲法派，但他拒绝在英法战争中偏袒一方，听从华盛顿的暗示（尽管他最初不同意这一立场）。这两个国家都试图胁迫美国加入他们的阵营，而英国实际上是在俘获美国船只。为了进一步宣布美国中立并防止美国船只被进一步捕获，他宣布美国将不会与这两个国家进行贸易。不幸的是，如果是这样的话，北方贸易商很可能无法生存，所以他们基本上无视该法案，转而从事走私活动。正因为如此，英国和法国都没有受到该法案的伤害，因此该法案没有达到其目的。
嗯，我的答案确实很长。当我谈到杰斐逊的话题时，我就会开始胡言乱语。

Don Graham
In your opinion, who was the best president the United States has ever had?
I agree with Mark and John: Lincoln was given the hardest job (that of winning the Civil War), and had to combine infinite wisdom and patience to do it. He was let down by general after general who served under him, then found the man who won the war and backed him
In addition, he was the best writer among Presidents—and possibly the best writer of any American ever. And on top of everything else, bills creating the transcontinental railroad and the land-grant colleges act passed during his tenure.

在你看来，谁是美国有史以来最好的总统？
我同意马克和约翰的观点：林肯被赋予了最艰巨的任务（赢得内战），他必须结合无限的智慧和耐心才能做到这一点。他被一位又一位在他手下服役的将军辜负了，然后找到了赢得战争的人，并力挺他
此外，他是总统中最优秀的作家，也可能是有史以来美国人中最好的作家。最重要的是，在他的任期内通过了建立横贯大陆铁路的法案和赠予学院土地法 Land Grant College Act亦称《莫里尔法》(Morrill Act)。