Below is the instructors actual assignment page. I chose Andrew Jackson as the greatest American President from this time period. As stated in the assignment the focus should be on his presidency not the man. "As you probably know, President Bush hopes to be ranked by future historians as the greatest Presidents of the United States. He has decided that to achieve this distinction, he must understand those attributes and achievements that historians consider to be the marks of a great president. The best way to gain such an understanding would be to conduct a poll of influential historians to find out who they consider to be the greatest president and how they support their choice. In selecting the leading minds presently studying United States history, it was immediately realized that your name must head the list. The President requests that you write an essay entitled Our Greatest American President. You should decide which presidents between John Adams and James Buchanan (or any other president in between) was the greatest and discusses the reasons for that distinction. Your essay will be judged on the quality of your justifications for your choice, not on who you choose. Keep in mind you need to write about their accomplishment while as President. I do not want to read four pages on their background, and one page on their presidency. Your paper should be five pages,