Great Americanism

So, I have decided to post on an issue that may seem pretty irrelevant. This past summer, much ado was made about Discovery Channel's list of 'the Greatest Americans'. Of course, I made up my own list, and recent events have again sparked my interest in the topic. Thus, I have decided to post, complete with ever-so-brief statements of reasoning, my list of the 10 Greatest Americans. Here goes:

1. George Washington - The bottom line is that without this guy, I'd be a Brit.
2. Abe Lincoln - He could be here simply for his role in the Civil War, but his work on behalf of Civil Rights is, in the very least, noteable.
3. James Madison - His work on the Constitution was unmatched, but he saved his true genius for the Federalist Papers.
4. Thomas Jefferson - The Declaration of Independence is the masterpiece of this remarkable man's many achievments.
5. Ronald Reagan - They still say he didn't win the Cold War. Oh well, he never cared much for what they had to say anyways.
6. Benjamin Franklin - The original American statesman. And who wouldn't love a man that said beer was the proof God loves us all?
7. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - 4 words "I have a Dream....."
8. Gen. George S. Patton Jr. - If you're shaking your head at this one, please, just ask any Nazi.
9. James Watson - the structure of the DNA molecule was the greatest scientific discovery in American History.
10. Franklin Delano Roosevelt - despite the 'New Deal', he was the face of the Greatest Generation, and it takes some kind of leader to whip the Japs and Nazis at the same time.

Now, feel free to leave a list of your own, and to comment on mine. Anyone is fair game, from politicians to writers to artists, but please, try not to make a list of your 10 favorite relatives..... :-p