CH THE GROWTH OF PRESIDENTIAL POWER ADVANCED AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

ARTICLE II The presidency is often called “the most powerful office in the world” “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America”—Article II Constitution not very detailed about presidential power The original debate centered around how much power the president should have

WHY PRESIDENTIAL POWER HAS GROWN Presidential power outlined in the Constitution has not changed since 1789 but the amount of power has increased Increase can be attributed to the fact the President has no equal in the government The growth of America also plays a part— industrialization, increase in transportation, etc. Congress has passed thousands of laws that have increased the size and power of the government

Every president since FDR has used MASS MEDIA to command public attention and build support for policies and actions Presidents cannot be all-powerful 1952—Labor strike threatens steel industry during the Korean War President Truman, acting as commander in chief, ordered the Secretary of Commerce to seize and operate several steel mills

USSC overruled the move by Truman, saying he has overstepped his authority Only Congress could use its commerce power to seize private property in time of war 2006—USSC ruled President George W. Bush could not use military tribunals to prosecute “enemy combatants” Only Congress can create courts Bush’s plan also violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice (act of Congress) and the Geneva Conventions of 1949 that deals with prisoners of war

THE PRESIDENTIAL VIEW Two contrasting views of the presidency 1) Strong – Theodore Roosevelt 2) Weak – William Howard Taft IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY—paints the President as an emperor, taking strong actions without consulting Congress (ex.— Richard Nixon) THE END