How can President Donald Trump be judged by history? One day, we’ll have an answer, thanks to C-SPAN’s Presidential Historians Survey. Several presidents rose and fell in the rankings in the 2017 version, which polled 91 historians. Historians evaluated them based on 10 presidential leadership qualities, including economic management, international relations, crisis leadership, public persuasion skills, and whether they pursued equal justice for everyone. For the first time this year, of course, President Barack Obama has been added to the lineup. Which are the best presidents ranked?
43. James Buchanan (1857-1861)
For crisis leadership, Buchanan received very low rankings. In the years leading up to the Civil War, he couldn’t seem to grasp the enormity of America’s divisions over slavery, ignoring the strife and letting the issue grow out of control.