The American Presidency

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how the American presidency began with George Washington and the Articles of Confederation and how, under the Articles of Confederation, the Federal government, including the presidency, had very little power. It looks at how early presidents expanded the power of the Office of the President by their interpretation of the Constitution and examines how, over time, the presidents from Jackson to Nixon built up the Office of the President and expanded federal powers. It shows how the power of the presidency has ebbed and flowed over the years, with Congress taking action when it feels a president has gone too far and how the president's power to veto bills guarantees that Congress will have to work with the president to some extent as it passes laws.

From the Paper:

"The United States Constitution was designed as a series of checks and balances. That is, the rights and powers of one branch were kept in check, or balance, by the rights of other branches. Thus Congress could pass laws, but the Supreme Court could declare them void because they were unconstitutional. The President could negotiate treaties, but they had to be approved by the Senate. After the Civil War, the issue of balance of power came to a head. Congress tried to gain more power, and President Andrew Jackson opposed them. The Congress responded by impeaching President Andrew. He missed being thrown out of office by one vote (WorldBook, 2002). The view through the 1800's remained that Congress held the bulk of governmental authority."

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