1. The Executive Branch
The Presidency

2. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
Qualifications

3. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
Formal Qualifications:
35 years old
Natural Born Citizen
U.S. resident for 14 years

4. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
What is a natural born citizen?
Anyone born inside the United States
Any one born outside the United States, both of whose parents are citizens of the U.S., as long as one parent has lived in the U.S.
Any one born outside the United States, if one parent is a citizen and lived in the U.S. for at least one year
Any one born in a U.S. possession, if one parent is a citizen and lived in the U.S. for at least one year
Any one found in the U.S. under the age of five, whose parentage cannot be determined, as long as proof of non-citizenship is not provided by age 21
Any one born outside the United States, if one parent is an alien and as long as the other parent is a citizen of the U.S. who lived in the U.S. for at least five years (with military and diplomatic service included in this time)

5. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
“Informal” Qualifications:
All have shared similar characteristics
White males
Protestant
British ancestry
most attended college (only 9 did not)
had careers as lawyers (22 of 42)
President John Adams

6. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
“Informal” Qualifications:
Evidence of change
1.) 1960: JFK became 1st Catholic President
2.) 1984: Dem. party nominated Geraldine Ferraro as the first Vice-Presidential candidate

7. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
“Informal” Qualifications:
Evidence of Change cont.
3.) 1988: Jesse Jackson became the first African American to come in a close second in the race for the Democratic Presidential nomination

8. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
Salary and Benefits

9. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
History of Salary:
Position
Salary
President
 1789
$25,000
 1873
50,000
 1909
75,000
 1949
100,000
 1969
200,000
 2001
400,000

10. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
Benefits:
Receives $50,000/year for expenses and up to $100,000/year for travel
Salary cannot be changed during term
Free lodging at the White House and Camp David

11. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
Benefits:
President and family receives finest medical care possible and personal protection (secret service)

12. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
Benefits:
President has plane (Air Force One) and a personal helicopter (Marine One) at his disposal

13. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
Elections and Terms of Office

14. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
Elections:
Elections held every 4 years
President elected by an electoral college
Candidate with most electoral votes wins the election

15. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
Term of Office:
4 years = 1 presidential term
Constitution originally placed no limit on number of Presidential terms
George Washington established a tradition when he stepped down after 2 terms

16. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
Term of Office:
1940: FDR became the 1st President to not step down after 2nd term – was elected 4 times
1951: 22nd Amendment added to Constitution
Limits President to 2 consecutive terms

17. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
Presidential Succession

18. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
Presidential Succession:
1841: William Henry Harrison became 1st President to die while in office
Vice President John Tyler set a tradition by declaring himself President
1967: 25th Amendment turned tradition into law; says if Presidency is vacant, the VP becomes President and then appoints a new VP

19. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
Since ratified, 25th Amendment has been used 3 times:
1.) 1973: VP Spiro Agnew resigned; Pres. Nixon replaced him with Gerald Ford
2.) 1974: Pres. Nixon resigned and Gerald Ford became President
3.) 1985: Pres. Reagan was shot and during surgery VP George Bush became president for 8 hours

20. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
8 U.S. Presidents have died while in office:

21. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
Presidential Succession:
1947: Congress passed the Presidential Succession Act which indicates the order of succession to the Presidency

22. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
Line of Succession:
The Vice President
Speaker of the House
President pro tempore of the Senate
Secretary of State
Secretary of the Treasury
Secretary of Defense
Attorney General
Secretary of the Interior
Secretary of Agriculture
Secretary of Commerce
Secretary of Labor
Secretary of Health and Human Services
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Secretary of Transportation
Secretary of Energy
Secretary of Education
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Secretary of Homeland Security

23. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
Presidential Roles

24. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
7 Major Roles of the President
1.) Chief Executive
Carries out the nation’s laws
Issues Executive Orders (rule or command the President issues that has the force of law; usually during time of crisis)
Appoints cabinet members, ambassadors, judges, heads of govt. agencies

25. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
2.) Chief Diplomat
Responsible for making treaties with other countries with Senate approval
Meets with foreign leaders
Can make Executive Agreements with leaders of other countries
Has the force of law but does not require Senate approval
Responsible for appointing ambassadors with Senate approval
An official representative of a country’s government

26. The Executive Branch: The Presidency
3.) Commander in Chief
President is final authority over all military matters
Founding Fathers believed in civilian control over the military; person elected by the people has final say over all military matters
President can use military in times of war or peace
1957: President Eisenhower sent Federal
Troops into Little Rock, Arkansas when
attempts to integrate public schools led to
violence between locals and police

27. The Executive Branch The Presidency
3.) Commander in Chief , cont..
President Barrack Obama
with his Joint Chiefs of Staff

28. The Executive Branch The Presidency
3.) Commander in Chief, cont..
Stretching of this power by former Presidents has led to legislation limiting the President’s power over the military
President Truman sent
troops to fight in Korean
War, but we never declared
War ( )
Presidents Eisenhower,
Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon
sent troops to Vietnam,
but we never declared war ( )

29. The Executive Branch The Presidency
3.) Commander in Chief, cont….
1973: War Powers Act passed by Congress
President must notify Congress when troops sent
anywhere
Troops must be brought home after 60 days unless
Congress declares war, or gives approval for troops to stay

30. The Executive Branch The Presidency
4.) Political Party Leader
Supports party members in election campaigns and
helps unify the party
Appoints members of party to key govt. jobs
President Bush confers w/ Republican
members of Congress

31. The Executive Branch The Presidency
5.) Legislative Leader
Proposes legislation and uses many tactics to get the bill passed
Prepares the federal budget
Approves or vetoes legislation

32. The Executive Branch The Presidency
6.) Judicial Leader
Appoints judges to Federal Courts and the U.S. Supreme Court
Appoints Justices whose point of view is similar to their
own
President Obama announces Mrs. Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee to the Supreme Court

33. The Executive Branch The Presidency
6.) Judicial Leader, cont…
Can issue pardons, reprieves and amnesty to those convicted of federal crimes:
Pardon – declaration of forgiveness and freedom
from punishment
Reprieve – an order to delay a person’s punishment
until a higher court can rule on the case (usually
death sentence
Commutation – substitutes a less severe punishment
for the one originally imposed by the court
Amnesty – same as a pardon; applies to a group of
people rather than an individual

34. The Executive Branch The Presidency
456 total pardons. Over 100
on the day before he left office
President Carter gave amnesty
to all Vietnam draft dodgers who
fled to Canada

35. The Executive Branch The Presidency
7.) Chief of State
Role is symbolic – President is representing people from all 50 states
Gives a human face to American govt.
Can be demonstrated in many ways
Greeting heroes
Throwing first pitches at baseball games
Inviting musicians to perform at White House
Attending funeral of another country’s leader, or past Presidents of U.S.
Speeches and ceremonies

36. The Executive Branch The Presidency- Chief of State
President and First Lady
at Pope’s funeral and at
former President Reagan’s
funeral

37. The Executive Branch The Presidency
The Vice President

38. The Executive Branch The Presidency – Vice President
Qualifications
Same as the President
Duties and Responsibilities
Serves as President of the Senate (only Constitutional duty)
President delegates out many responsibilities to VP:
Taking part in Presidential Cabinet meeting
Helping with Diplomatic relations with other countries
Advising and helping President make important decisions

39. The Executive Branch The Presidency – Vice President
Vice President’s Duties and Responsibilities

40. The Executive Branch The Presidency – Vice President
Salary and Benefits
$198,000/year
Receives $10,000/year for expenses
Benefits similar to President’s
Free Residence
Large Staff
Variety of personal services – Secret Service protection

41. The Executive Branch The Presidency – Vice President
Elections and Terms of Office
Original procedure for electing a VP was:
- Electoral college members in each state voted for 2 candidates for President – candidate with most votes became President and runner up became the VP
After tie of 1800, procedure changed
12th Amendment: electoral college votes for president and VP on separate ballots
VP term of office is not limited (although no VP has ever served more than two terms)