Constitutional Powers of the President: Evolution and Impact

585 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: President powers and functions essay

The President has specific powers given to him by the constitution. These powers being the power to sign or veto any legislation, commanding the armed forces, convening or adjourning congress, grant reprieves and pardons, ask a written opinion of their cabinet and receiving ambassadors. Although these are the powers given to the president's by the constitution, some presidents have taken advantage of these powers. Some presidents even went against these rules and powers set by the constitution. President Lincoln would be one of the presidents who didn’t follow some of the rules made by the constitution during the Civil War. Lincoln did not want the Union to fall apart and therefore acted on the civil war without congressional consent. Lincoln also disbanded Habeas Corpus in order to just put people straight into jail. Things like this allows for the power that the President is given to be taken advantage of. Overtime, the President's responsibilities have grown. When the times change, the constitution has to change as well. When threats and new modern technology is threatening the people of the United States, you have to be able to fight and protect your country. With that being said, powers have to change in order …show more content…

In order for the president to get things done the way they want them to be done, they have to persuade other people in the government. The power to persuade is what makes a president a good president. The more people you can convince to do something, the better of a chance you have to get that thing done. There has to be mutual dependence within the people in the government in order to get things done. The president has to reinsure that what he is doing or trying to do will benefit everyone including his colleagues. The President has to rely on others in order to get things done because the President cannot make up everything for the government. It has to be the Whole

Show More
Related

  • The Court Case of Clinton v. The City of New York

    835 Words  | 2 Pages

    The case of Clinton v. City of New York brought about some constitutional issues like whether or not the president should be able to have the kind of power that he does. The Snake River Farmers’ believe that President Clinton, actually any president shouldn’t be allowed the power to delete a portion of any bill. I believe that it is okay for the President to have some sort of power. The question has been brought ...

    Read More

  • Presidential Powers: A Comparsion of Predencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    As the President of the United States, a president have powers that other members of the government do not. Presidential power can be defined in numerous ways. Political scientists Richard Neustadt and William Howell give different views on what is presidential power. These polarized views of presidential powers can be used to compare and contrast the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

    Read More

  • The Evolution of the Power of the Presidency

    694 Words  | 2 Pages

    ... This precedent allows future presidents to take actions strictly forbidden by the executive branch in times of national emergency without congressional approval. The most important expansion of the power of the presidency happened during the Jackson administration. When Jackson used the veto power of the president to influence legislation as a matter of policy and not constitutionality, he arguably altered the balance of power between the legislative and executive branches.

    Read More

  • The Inefficiency of the U.S. Constitution

    1287 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States' Constitution is one the most heralded documents in our nation's history. It is also the most copied Constitution in the world. Many nations have taken the ideals and values from our Constitution and instilled them in their own. It is amazing to think that after 200 years, it still holds relevance to our nation's politics and procedures. However, regardless of how important this document is to our government, the operation remains time consuming and ineffective. The U.S. Constitution established an inefficient system that encourages careful deliberation between government factions representing different and sometimes competing interests.

    Read More

  • Abraham Lincoln's Abuse of Power

    741 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lincoln's use of executive authority during the civil war is many times illegal and unjust; although his issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation may seem justified, Lincoln blatantly abused his power regarding civil rights. He did things like institute an unfair draft, suspend Constitutional rights, allocate military spending without Congress, and institute emancipation. Although some may justify these actions, they stomped on the Constitution.

    Read More

  • The Power Struggle between the President and Congress

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    ... in office and how the congress will act toward the President; whether he be a President that demands respect or one who forfeits it and whether the Congress gives in to the demands of the Executive or if the Congress comes down on t he Executive like a hammer on a nail. This can be accomplished by viewing the circumstances in which a President takes office, the manner in which he carries himself during his term, and the way in which the President leaves as Commander in Chief. Conclusion: The President has neither gained nor lost power. There exists the same balance between Executive and Congress as there was when Washington was sworn in as America's first President. The only difference between then and now, is the fact that today we must wade through the layers of insignificance and precedents that history has forged against us, the political thinker and historian.

    Read More

  • Does the Public Have Unrealistic Expectations for the Presidency?

    1493 Words  | 3 Pages

    The president has a significant amount of power; however, this power is not unlimited, as it is kept in check by both the judicial and legislative branches. The president is held responsible for passing legislation that will improve the lives of everyday Americans, even though he shares his legislative powers with Congress. The sharing of power acts as an impediment to the president’s ability to pass legislation quickly and in the form it was originally conceived. However, Americans do not take this into account when judging a president, as they fully expect him to fulfill all of the promises he makes during his campaign. By making promises to pass monumental legislation once elected without mentioning that Congress stands as an obstacle that must be hurdled first, the president creates unrealistic expectations of what he can fulfill during his time in office (Jenkins-Smith, Silva, and Waterman, 2005). A president is expected to have the characteristics that will allow him to efficiently and effectively lead the nation and to accomplish the goals he set during his campaign (Jenkins-Smith et al., 2005). There have been a handful of presidents that have been immortalized as the ideal person to lead the United States and if a president does not live up to these lofty expectations the American public will inevitably be disappointed. Since every president is expected to accomplish great things during his presidency, he is forced to created and project a favorable image through unrealistic promises. The combination of preconceived ideas of the perfect president and the various promises made by presidential candidates during their campaign create unrealistic expectations of the president by the American public.

    Read More

  • Presidential Power: The Power of Persuasion

    1923 Words  | 4 Pages

    Political scientists have continually searched for methods that explain presidential power and success derived from using that power effectively. Five different approaches have been argued including the legal approach, presidential roles approach, Neustadtian approach, institutional approach, and presidential decision-making approach. The legal approach says that all power is derived from a legal authority (U.S. Constitution). The presidential roles approach contends that a president’s success is derived from balancing their role as head of state and head of government. The Neustadtian approach contends that “presidential power is the power to persuade“ (Neustadt, p. 11). The institutional approach contends that political climate and institutional relations are what determines presidential power. The last approach, decision-making, provides a more psychological outlook that delves into background, management styles, and psychological dispositions to determine where a president’s idea of power comes from. From all of these, it is essential to study one at a time in order to analyze the major components of each approach for major strengths and weaknesses.

    Read More

  • Constitutional Democracy In The United States

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    The scenes in creation being intellectual, the put together of constitutional democracy was very empirical. The Constitutional Convention was convened to formulate the constitution. What had to be clear was that the only way to assure a functioning constitutional democracy was the public's discussion. In philadelphia the delegates compromised. The outcome was to integrate states with large populations and states with small populations with a bicameral legislative branch. Also compromises that guaranteed say from both slave owning states and non-slave states could be listened to. The Bill of Rights

    Read More

  • Models Of Presidential Power

    2075 Words  | 5 Pages

    When the constitution of the United States was formed, the framers specifically designed the American Government structure to have checks and balances and democracy. To avoid autocracy the President was give power to preside over the executive branch of the government and as commander –in –chief, in which a clause was put into place to give the president the power to appeal any sudden attacks against America, without waiting for a vote from congress. While the president presides over the executive branch there has been ongoing debate over the role of the president in regards to foreign policy. Should foreign policy issues be an executive function by the president or should congress play a much greater role? With the sluggishness of our democracy, foreign policy issues most times need quicker response compared to how domestic policy is decided in the United States. Many believe to maintain openness and democracy both the president and congress need to agree on how the United States handles issue abroad. Although the president has been given much power, his or her power and decisions are sometimes limited based on decisions by congress and challenged and shaped by various bureaucracies throughout the government system. I shall discuss the Presidents role and the role of governmental bureaucracies (Department of Defense, Department of State and the National Security Council) that work together and sometimes not together to shape and implement American foreign Policy.

    Read More

  • Preventing Tyranny: The Power of the Constitution

    1370 Words  | 3 Pages

    The worries of yesterday Eventually, we will have a tyranny without a strong, trustworthy constitution. We do not want to recreate exactly what the colonists were trying to avoid and escape from, which was tyranny. Tyranny refers to when a person has a lot of power, and has a lot on their hands, having complete control, and total control. In 1787 a group of delegates from 12 of the 13 states goes together to try to better the country.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of The US Constitution

    1142 Words  | 3 Pages

    Unlike many other foundational documents written by other counties, the US Constitution has held strong from the start. The Constitution is at the center of our everyday lives and is the reason we are able to live with the freedom and security that we do. As the Constitutions author, contents, and effect on the US are evaluated it is very clear why America holds so strongly to the foundation the Constitution set in place.

    Read More

  • Unilateral Power In William Howell's From Power Without Persuasion

    1374 Words  | 3 Pages

    To explain, the president has little control with regard to current events and policy making, his wishes are ignored, and his hands are tied. With such circumstances, the president’s desires are viewed as, just that, desires, rather than commands. Unless of course he holds the power of persuasion. In order to reach political power and presidential achievement, the president must persuade other political actors his interests are theirs (Howell 243). Howell counter argues Neustadt, explaining the president exerts influence not by the power of persuasion, but by his unilateral powers. “The president can make all kinds of public policies without the formal consent of Congress”. The unilateral powers emerge from institutional advantages such as the structure, resources, and location within the system of separated powers. (Howell 246-247). By that Howell means, the president’s power does not derive from persuasion, but from simply being the

    Read More

  • Presidential Power

    450 Words  | 1 Pages

    Richard E. Neustadt, the author of Presidential Power, addresses the politics of leadership and how the citizens of the United States rate the performance of the president's term. We measure his leadership by saying that he is either "weak or "strong" and Neustadt argues that we have the right to do so, because his office has become the focal point of politics and policy in our political system.

    Read More

  • The Five Types Of Presidency

    1333 Words  | 3 Pages

    This type of president sees himself as a line of defense for the Constitution of the United States. He makes his decisions based on the Constitution singularly. It does not matter how he feels on the subject or what laws may exist on the subject. If it does not line up, he will make changes to the laws until they do. A president’s oath is to protect and defend the Constitution with his life and a president-elect should not plan to take that oath and then betray it (Pfiffner & Davidson, 48). An example of this type of president would be Abraham Lincoln. In Abraham Lincoln’s letter to A.G. Hodges, he writes that he “never understood that the presidency conferred upon me an unrestricted right to act officially upon this judgement and feeling” (Pfiffner & Davidson, 48). The judgment and feeling Lincoln is referring to is in relation to whether slavery is right or wrong. Lincoln was a president who believed that slavery was wrong in his own moral opinion . He also knew that it did not matter whether he believed slavery to be right or wrong, it only mattered what the Constitution said on the matter. President Lincoln would not have freed the slaves if the Constitution has forbade the freeing of slaves or allowed the keeping of

    Read More

More about Constitutional Powers of the President: Evolution and Impact

Open Document