5 Most Influential American Politicians

Many politicians have served in the U.S. over time. Below, however, are five Americans who were exceedingly influential in American history:

1. Ronald Reagan 

He was the 40th U.S. President. Reagan’s supply-side economic policies, “Reaganomics,” advocated for lower tax rates to boost economic growth and reduce government spending. During his two terms, he survived an assassination attempt, fueled the War on Drugs, and reduced economic inflation.

2. Abraham Lincoln 

He served as president of the United States between 1861 and 1865, then he was assassinated. The American Civil War was fought under his leadership, and he abolished slavery and modernized the U.S. economic system. He was also a lawyer.

3. George Washington 

As the first president of the United States, Mr. Washington served as a military general before becoming a political leader. A true “Father of the Nation,” he led the Patriot forces to victory in the American Revolutionary War.

4. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Besides being a Baptist minister, King was also an active civil rights activist before he was assassinated in 1968. Son of a prominent civil rights activist, King won the Nobel Peace Prize in October 1964 for fighting racial inequality by nonviolent protests.

5. Benjamin Franklin 

A multi-faceted individual, he was a writer, a scientist, an inventor, a statesman, a diplomat, a printer, a publisher, and a political philosopher. A founding father of the United States and the first Postmaster General, Franklin was one of the best intellectuals of his time. He was a prominent scientist, affiliated with the discovery of electricity, and numerous other inventions.