Chapter 14: The Presidency in Action Section 1 · leadership. Chapter 14, Section ... Chapter 14, Section 1 Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 15 ... Taft have favored limited

Chapter 14: The Presidency in ActionSection 1

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 2Chapter 14, Section 1

Objectives

1. Explain why Article II of the Constitutioncan be described as “an outline” of thepresidential office.

2. List several reasons for the growth ofpresidential power.

3. Explain how the Presidents’ own viewshave affected the power of the office.


Key Terms

• Executive Article: the name given toArticle II of the U.S. Constitution, whichestablishes the office of the President

• imperial presidency: a critical view of thepresidency that argues that Presidentshave become too powerful, isolated fromCongress, and unaccountable for theiractions


Introduction

• What factors have contributed to thegrowth of presidential power?– The presidency is a unified office with a

focused purpose.– Congress has granted more authority to the

executive branch.– The President can act decisively in times of

crisis, increasing his or her influence.– The support staff of the President has grown

over time.


Article II

• Article II of theConstitution gives thePresident power to:– Command the armed

forces– Make treaties– Approve or veto acts of

Congress– Send or receive

diplomats– “Take care that the Laws

be faithfully executed.”• The presidency has been

called the “most powerfuloffice in the world.”


Views of the Presidency

• Checkpoint: What two views of thepresidency were debated by the Framers?– These executive powers are broadly defined

and open to interpretation.• At the Constitutional Convention, some delegates

argued for a weaker chief executive appointed byCongress.

• They were defeated by delegates supporting astrong, independently elected executive.

Checkpoint Answer: Whether the president should be weak and subordinateto Congress or strong and independent of the other branches.


Growth of Power

• Presidential power has grown over time. Whyhas this happened?

– Compared to Congress, the executive branch is aunified office with one leader, capable of quickerdecisions.

– As the role of the federal government has grown andthe country has endured wars and other major crises,citizens have looked to the presidency for decisiveleadership.


Growth of Power, cont.

• Congress has delegated authority to theexecutive branch to carry out the manylaws passed by the legislative branch.

– Certain Presidents have used the influence oftheir office to increase the scope ofpresidential power.


Growth of Power, cont.

• The size of the staff supporting thePresident has grown, allowing involvementin more areas of government.

– Presidents have a unique ability to use massmedia—such as radio, television, and theInternet—to attract public attention to theirpolicies and goals.


Means of Gaining Power

• The debate continuesover how much powerthe President shouldhave relative toCongress.

– What is the source ofpresidential power asshown in this politicalcartoon?

Answer to cartoon question: Powers such as executive privilege, the vetopower, and the ability to impound funds.


Gaining Power

• In this cartoon, who isgiving the Presidentincreased powers?

Answer to cartoon question: Congress


Limits on Power

• Checkpoint: What limits the growth ofpresidential power?

– In 1952, the Supreme Court ruled thatPresident Harry Truman could not use hispowers as commander in chief to take controlof U.S. steel mills during the Korean War.(Youngstown Sheet & Tube C. v. Sawyer)

Checkpoint Answer: Checks and balances built into the Constitution.


Limits on Power, cont.

• In 2006, the Court ruled that PresidentGeorge W. Bush could not use militarytribunals to prosecute “enemy combatants”and held that part of his plan violated theGeneva Conventions and the UniformCode of Military Justice. (Hamdan v.Rumsfeld)


Opposing Views

• Presidents like Theodore Roosevelt havesupported broad powers.

– Roosevelt supported the “stewardshiptheory,” arguing that the President should tryto do whatever would help the public, usingwhatever powers could be claimed.


Opposing Views, cont.

• Presidents like WilliamTaft have favored limitedpresidential powers.

– Taft felt that Presidentscould not simply assumepowers that they feltwere needed to servethe people. Allexecutive power had tobe based clearly on theConstitution.

NOTE TO TEACHERS: The above image shows Presidents TheodoreRoosevelt and William Howard Taft.


Imperial Presidency

• In recent years, some critics claim that thepresidency has grown too powerful.

• They refer to this increase of power as animperial presidency because presidentsoften take actions without consultingCongress.


Imperial Presidency, cont.

• Supporters of the imperial presidencyargue that the President often needs to actmore swiftly than would be possible if heor she had to wait for congressionalapproval.


Review

• Now that you have learned about thegrowth of presidential power, go back tothe Chapter Essential Question.– How much power should the President have?

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Chapter 14: The Presidency in Action Section 1 · leadership. Chapter 14, Section ... Chapter 14, Section 1 Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 15 ... Taft have favored limited