The framers of the constitution did many things that limited the power of the president by creating impeachment, checks and balances, executive privilege, and allowing the legislature to declare war. However they gave the president too much power because they allow the president to court packing, they allow him to announce important events to the public, and allowing presidents to issue many executive orders. A president must be at least thirty five years old, a natural born citizen, and live in the United states (U.S.) for at least 14 years. The president is allowed to serve four year terms when he or she is elected. The Framers of the constitution wanted to limit the power of the president because of their prior experiences with king george. Limiting the power that the president has, was …show more content…
The president is given seven major roles with many rules and restrictions in place. If he does not follow these rules he can be tried for impeachment. Impeachment was set up by the founders in the case that an unfit president was elected. The constitution states, “The president, vice president and all civil officers of the united states, shall be removed from on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors” (Doc A). This states the ways a president can be charged for impeachment. The founders also set up checks and balances to keep an equal amount of power between the three branches. Scholastic wrote an article called “Cand a President be Too Strong?” (Doc B). This article talks about how checking and balancing power between the president and congress is important to the founders. Executive privilege was set up by the framers so the president can protect his privacy. In Nixon’s Address to the Nation on his Secret Tape Recordings, he said,
Most of the specifications for the executive branch in the Constitution, other than how he is to be elected, have to deal with the interactions between Congress and the President. The president can (fill in the blank) but only if (this part) of Congress approves. The powers of the president have been interpreted widely so that he has more power than I believe the Framers intended. They wanted him to be able to check Congress with veto power and be the head of the military. However, I think that presidents nowadays have too much power. They are active in trying force their policy agenda through Congress, manage foreign relations, and act as the administrative head of the entire nation. The textbook lays it out well in, "The vast size of the executive branch and the number and complexity of decisions that must be made each day pose a challenge for the White House.” (316) In order to deal with the stresses put on the executive branch, there are thousands of employees that work to give the president the information that he needs to make decisions. He has advisors, cabinet members, legislative liaisons; the list goes on and on, but he is the person who actually gets to make all of the choices. The President is limited in some ways and given more power in other ways by the structure laid out for him in the Constitution, and evolved to be what it is now.
This branch has ways to supersede the power of the other branches. President can Veto any law that Congress is trying to pass. This will deny Congress the right to pass that law. The President can put in place a Presidential order. This order holds the weight of a law but does not require Congress to vote on it prior to it being put in place. The President can appoint Judges to the Supreme Court. These Judges will carry out the mindset of the President even after his term has ended
Another very notable role of the President also outlined in Article II. Section 2. of the Constitution and reads, “He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court(http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html). It essentially gives the President power to make treaties with foreign nations however, two-thirds of Congress must be in agreement with the decision. Although the President, or the Executive Branch can be interpreted as the most authoritative arm of government, its powers are still limited and restricted by the process of checks and balances. Each branch of government has some governance over the other two divisions. For instance, just as it is outlined above, the President can nominate Ambassadors and Judges of the Supreme Court but the decision must be upheld by Congress. In other words, under the "Advice and Consent clause the appointed member must be sworn in by the Senate. Again, this is an example of how the system of checks and balances limits the powers of the President.
In many ways, the US constitution has changed and shifted since its creation in 1787. It has changed, with power being put into the hands of bodies not specified in the constitution and certain constraints on power no longer existing. All in all, however, the constitution has maintained the very thing it was created for- to limit the power of the government and protect the people from tyranny of the executive. In this sense, the constitution is still very much embodying the vision of the founding fathers and is relatively unchanged given the lengthy period of time they have existed for. The powers of the president
If the President is suspected of unlawful acts, he can be impeached, or tried by the Senate for misusing his power. The Senate has the sole power to try all impeachments. If he is found guilty, he can be punished but his sentence can be no more than being thrown out of office and being forbidden to hold any government office. Furthermore, if the President wants to spend money, his request must pass through Congress, since it has control over spending. Lastly, Congress can re-pass a bill that was vetoed by the President. Congress also has checks and balances against itself. The President can veto a bill from Congress, and although Congress can override a veto, obtaining a two-thirds vote to do so is very difficult. Public speeches by the President may also concern the public with an issue, putting pressure on Congress to act upon it. The Judicial branch exerts control over the other two by deciding whether or not actions made by the President or Congress, i.e., laws are constitutional.
This mainly talks about what powers the President and Vice President have during their time in office. The Article also talks about how the president and the rest of the branch have powers to veto or accept new laws. Framers had to write detailed descriptions for what the President can do, or else one of the President’s could have done what he wanted and made a dictatorship out of our country. But they also trusted each president with power, and they allow them to make new laws in order to better the country.
Created on November 15, 1777 and ratified by the first 13 colonies on March 1, 1781, the articles of confederation is known for being the first constitution of the united states. “The constitution provides a division of powers, meaning it assigns certain powers to the national government and reserves others for the states.” (crouse, slide 4) The constitution is needed because if we didn't have it the government would be weak and would most likely have no power. Framers of the constitution chose a system of government on a territorial basis, between a central government and several states. “ the framers were worried about the government being too powerful because; government power inevitably poses a threat to individual liberty. Therefore the
The framers experienced the abuse of the English monarchs and their colonial governors. As a result, the framers were skeptical of the excessive executive authority. Furthermore, they also feared excessive legislative powers. This was something that the Articles of Confederation had given their own state legislatures. The framers of the constitution deliberately fragmented power between the national government, the states, and among the executive legislative and judicial branches. The framers of the United States Constitution incorporated a system of separation of powers. They divided the legislative powers between the President and the Congress. The separation of powers authorized the President with the veto power. The veto power is found in the Constitution in Article one, section seven. Only two-thirds of the majority of both chambers to override the president’s veto. Secondly, the president is expected to set the national agenda. This happens before the decline in popularity. The President is focused on legacy rather than on re-election. They want a policy that is good and lasting. Unfortunately, the framers did not intend for the President to set Congressional policy agenda. Only in the times of crisis is the President to act, or call Congress into session. This power is stated in Article two section three of the Constitution. In
That same year, Congress would tap into its oversight powers once again as it launched a full-fledged investigation against Nixon and top White House officials who used their political positions for political advantage in the Watergate scandal. Citing “executive privilege,” Nixon asserted that he, as president, was immune from legislative oversight and that "the inherent power of the President to safeguard the security of the nation" authorized him to order wiretaps without warrants.
The president also has the power Veto laws passed by congress. The president has the power to make political appointment and negotiate treaties with foreign countries, however this power also requires the approval of the senate. The President is responsible for making a for appointing his cabinet and federal judges. The president is capable of calling congress in session and the power to adjourn congress.
The President’s formal powers, as found in Article II of the U.S. Constitution, begins with Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. This was the first power listed, signifying the prominence placed on keeping the country secure and safe, especially from foreign invasion. The next formal power of the President is the power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States. An example of said power would be, President Gerald Ford pardoning Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal and the President ordering a reprieve or delay in the case of a person on death row until their case can be heard by a higher court. The President also has the power to make Treaties, with Senate approval, and to appoint Ambassadors and Supreme Court Judges, again, with Senate confirmation.
Our history has always been about doing this differently. It has been our desire since the infancy of our nation to create the most uniquely successful geographical brotherhood that had ever been witnessed. This began with the “city on a hill”, was fueled by the American Revolution, but was culminated by the United States Constitution. Years in the making, the product of a successful war but a failure known as the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution has been the pride and joy of our nation since its creation. However, America has changed much in 235 years. The Internet has come to not only exist but encompass many aspects of our daily life, muskets have made way to weapons that can be hidden in clothes and disperse over a dozen
The president also has the power of assigning the federal judges, and when to call Congress into session. Likewise, the president has the power to either sign or veto a piece of legislation from Congress.
Presidential power has increased immensely over recent years and little is being done in an attempt to restore the original intent of the Constitution. There are multiple factors that affect this, including the executive orders of presidents, the Constitution giving an unequal distribution of power between the executive and legislative branch, the failure to use checks and balances, and the ineffectiveness of Congress. With the lack of congressional involvement in legislative decisions, the president has the ability to take matters in their own hands.
Article two, section two of the constitution outlines presidential power. Some of the powers given to the president include commander of the army and navy, the ability to make treaties, and the power to fill vacancies and appoint officials. Relatively speaking, this is a lot of power. Especially because this was written at a time when strong government was terrifying to those who just had fought a war to overthrow a tyrant. To appease this fear, several stipulations were added to this power. The senate