Jefferson and Madison were decent enough men, but as Presidents they presided over nations at peace, with civil strife at a minimum save for that ugly little Whiskey Rebellion incident. The Monroe Doctrine was a good deal, but that pretty much sums up Mr. Madison's PRESIDENCY.
Jackson, interestingly enough, was the one who backed South Carolina down on Nullification--a fact that most neo-Confederates who want to say "it all started with Lincoln" conveniently forget to mention.
But Lincoln pulled this nation back from the brink. Because of his inspired leadership, we are a great nation today, instead of a bunch of banana republics.