Was Walt Disney really more influential than Elizabeth Cady Stanton? John D. Rockefeller than Bill Gates? Babe Ruth than Frank Lloyd Wright? Let us know what you think. Ross Douthat explains how our panel came up with these selections here. Readers respond and offer their own nominations here. Explore more from The Atlantic on the most influential figures in American history right here.

See More:

• The Five Most Influential Filmmakers, selected by David Thomson

• The Five Most Influential Musicians, selected by Terry Teachout

• The Five Most Influential Critics, selected by Robert Messenger

• The Five Most Influential Architects, selected by Michael J. Lewis

• The Five Most Influential Poets, selected by Christian Wiman

• The 33 Most Influential Living Americans

• About the List

• In Their Words