African Americans on list of top 100 Greatest Americans

TOP AMERICANS OF ALL TIME NAMED

Nationwide (BlackNews.com) – African Americans, from celebrities to politicians and civil rights activists, were recently voted onto a list of the top 100 Americans of all time. More than 1,000 people from across the country were asked to vote on a list of the greatest Americans. Civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. came in at number five. Rosa Parks, the “mother of the freedom movement” was voted in 10th place, followed by former TV talk show host and media mogul Oprah Winfrey at number 24 and comedian Bill Cosby at number 29.

But by far, the most votes went to ex-presidents. Abraham Lincoln tops the list at number one, followed by Thomas Jefferson and John F. Kennedy. Number four is Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. Former presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Harry Truman were voted in at number 16 and 19. President Obama is number 32, just two behind former president Bill Clinton.

Of course, Lincoln is no stranger to the popular crowd. He has long been considered one of the country’s greatest leaders, the 16th American president who led the country through the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation, paving the way for the abolition of slavery. His Gettysburg Address and second inaugural address are among the most noted speeches of all time. It also can’t hurt that his life was the subject of a critically acclaimed epic historical movie of the same name just two years ago.

‘’Abraham Lincoln is considered by many to be one of the greatest American presidents, and it also seems most see him as the greatest American as well,” said a spokesman for the global market research firm Onepoll.com, which commissioned the survey. ‘’His two terms in office had a huge effect on America as we know it today, and his actions changed the country in so many ways.”

But what classifies as a great American to one person may not be great to another. That’s why the list of the top 100 runs the gamut – from the influential, to the powerful, inspirational, iconic and entertaining.

Other African Americans on the list include basketball star Michael Jordan, actor Morgan Freeman, the late Michael Jackson, actor Will Smith, the late Nat King Cole, singer Stevie Wonder, the late Whitney Houston, actor Samuel L. Jackson, professional golfer Tiger Woods, actress Halle Berry, the late Billie Holiday, singers Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Beyonce and Alicia Keys. Also included is first president George Washington, the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Steel magnate Andrew Carnegie and animation pioneer Walt Disney. Thomas Edison, inventor of the light bulb, came in sixth, while Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company, came in 12th. Singer Elvis Presley was the highest-ranking celebrity, making it into number 22, a whole ten places ahead of Obama.

Several first ladies are also among the list, including Eleanor Roosevelt, a politician in her own right, Kennedy’s wife Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Hillary Clinton, who went on to become a senator and Secretary of State.

TV stars include Ellen DeGeneres and Jennifer Aniston. Also listed are Hollywood greats such as Marilyn Monroe, Steven Spielberg, Katherine Hepburn and Tom Hanks. Other singers include Frank Sinatra, Dolly Parton, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears.