The Greatest American

[oz23]

As a non American I would like to nominate the following in no particular order;
Samuel Clemens and Herman Melville (your nations finest authors /mythographers)
Rodger Young, 'cause He sort of symbolizes the stuff that K.V Colluci is saying.
I think, however that My number one candidate would have to be Emperor Joshua norton the First.

 

[mycroftt]

However, he is hardly unique on the list of many people listed here for character flaws. After all what is plagiarism next to owning slaves?

In addition, though guilty of plagiarism, I think on balance King's contributions to the civil rights movement and promoting non-violent protest should secure his place on my list at least as among the greatest.

Plagiarism is considerably more serious than having owned slaves. After all, King's plagiarism is alleged to have occured during a time and place where plagiarism was considered wrong, where the slave ownership you allude to was conducted during a time and place where it was not considered wrong.

I don't consider plagiarism to be indicative of some character flaw. I really believe that most of it is just intellectual laziness in failing to cite properly rather than blatantly taking someone else's work and putting one's own name on it which is the more serious form of the infraction.

 

[Planterz]

Plagiarism or not, you can't deny what the man accomplished for the country.

 

[mycroftt]

Plagiarism or not, you can't deny what the man accomplished for the country.

No doubt. Whatever flaws the man may or may not have had, he was instrumental in bringing about changes that were long overdue and which have made the US a better place.