american government and politics

October 16 , 2007

The Rise of the Modern American Presidency

Abstract

To begin , an anecdote that many are sure to recall and relate to is presented : as the United States found itself in a war , the likes of which it had never seen before , the President found himself at a crossroads of policy , power and the consequences of his actions , for whatever course he took , there would be political fallout . All of his advisors had something to offer , and of course , his critics and political enemies all stood ready to witness

his downfall should he falter in his resolve or fail in his judgment . Ultimately , the President took full advantage of his powers- granted and implied- and set forth with his course of action , touching off a firestorm of disputes over the level of power he actually possesses , how much input such governmental bodies as the US Congress has in times of presidential posturing , and the like

The scenario presented sounds as if it could have been torn from the current headlines , as President George W . Bush is engulfed in controversy and opposition for his exercise of power in the midst of the modern war on terrorism , but a quick glance backward into the annals of history shows that this same scenario , albeit with some differences in circumstance here and there , could apply to Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War , Franklin D . Roosevelt during World War II , and certainly could apply to any number of other presidents . The point to be made is that the increase and exercise of presidential power is one of the most critical issues and points of contention in American politics . Even in light of past (and present ) poor decision making on the part of American Presidents , and the scandals that have rocked the presidency to its core in the past , every indication is that presidential power will only continue to grow as the 21st century unfolds and the complexity of the American political system grows (Shafritz , Weinberg . In this research the different conceptions of the proper role of the President in the American political system will be presented and discussed , with an ultimate goal of tracing the rise of the modern presidency , when /why the President became so powerful , why this power has endured , and whether or not the researcher favors and alternative , as well as the advantages /disadvantages of such powerful leadership

The Rise of the Modern American Presidency

As this began , an anecdote was presented that in fact applies to every generation of presidential leadership in America . The existence of such power begs the first question of when this power first began to emerge

By design , the presidency of the United States was constitutionally intended to be of course an executive leadership role that was ultimately independent of the Congress that was also originated by the same Constitutional mandates (Lowi , et al . Therefore , from the beginning of the US itself , the President was placed in the position whereby he would have assert...