12 Powerful Political Figures Who Changed the Course of US Politics

George Washington: led the U.S. to independence and set the foundation for the presidency.

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Abraham Lincoln: Preserved the Union and ended slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation

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Franklin D. Roosevelt: transformed the federal government's role with the New Deal.

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Martin Luther King Jr. pioneered the Civil Rights Movement and championed racial equality.

Theodore Roosevelt: Advanced progressive reforms and strengthened U.S. foreign policy.

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Ronald Reagan: Shaped conservative politics and ended the Cold War with the Soviet Union.

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Lyndon B. Johnson: Enacted sweeping social reforms through the Great Society and Civil Rights Act.

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Barack Obama: the first African- American president, expanded healthcare with the Affordable Care Act.

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Alexander Hamilton: established the U.S. financial system and advocated for a strong federal government.

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John F. Kennedy: promoted civil rights and steered the nation through the Cuban Missile Crisis.

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