America's Constitution Chapter 1 Analysis

The role of the President of the United States of America is defined by those who have held the office. The vagueness of the Constitution has allowed the power of the office to grow and shrink with the personal differences of the men who have held the position. The presidency is not just effected by those who hold the position, the institutional environment and the society of the time also take a massive role in determining the power and effectiveness of the presidency. Theodore Roosevelt and Andrew Jackson are two of the most influential presidents because they were adored by the people. Roosevelt and Jackson both stretched the power of the presidency in ways that were never envisioned by the framers of the constitution.

During the late 1800s, Abraham Lincoln’s abuse of power during the American Civil War. Despite his abilities to keep America sane and together, some of his most controversial decisions might actually be considered now to be abuses of the Presidential power. During his terms as president, he suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus, and upheld the Declaration of Independence above the Constitution. The writ of Habeas Corpus protects Americans from being unjustly imprisoned. Without it, law is a sham. The writ creates the gap between freedom and despotism. This writ basically ensures that no one can be unjustly imprisoned and any prisoner who feels this right is allowed to petition to

What bigger dream could a child possess than to pursue a career as president? Parents all across the nation instill the possibility of leading the country into the minds of little boys and girls each and every day. The concept of supreme power, a mansion, and nationwide recognition fabricates a false depiction of life as the president. Representing an entire country is an immense amount of power that can cause “heavy strain” on an individual (Coolidge 240). However, the mass amount of control does not define one’s presidency. Instead, the ability to grasp onto one’s values and use their surplus of authority properly determines how a president will be remembered long after their term. The person is more important than

“If I am shot at, I want no man to be in the way of the bullet.” These powerful words were spoken by Andrew Johnson. This quote describes how brave he was. This also explains his character. Andrew Johnson lived a tough life. Andrew Johnson was born in North Carolina and had a pretty poor childhood. He was self-taught and didn’t go to school. He married a woman named Eliza McCardle and had 5 children. However, after he grew up and became a senator, he went on to become the 17th president we know as Andrew Johnson. He was appointed after Abe Lincoln got shot. Did you know he was the first president to ever get impeached? After he vetoed the “Freemans Bureau” bill, the members of Congress overthrew the veto and he was sent to court for impeachment. Apparently, he was found innocent and after he was removed from the presidency, he decided to get re-elected for the Senate. He completed 2 tasks before he got impeached.

The United States Constitution is a document that or founding fathers made in order to replace the failing Articles of Confederation (A of C). Under the Constitution, the current government and states don’t have the problems they faced when the A of C was in action. The Constitution was created in 1788, and held an idea that the whole nation was nervous about. This idea was a strong national government, and the Federalist assured the people that this new government would work. The framers of the Constitution decided to give more power to the Federal government rather than the state governments because the A of C had many problems, there was a need for the layout of new government, rights, and laws, and there was a need for the Federal

Andrew Johnson became the President of the United States after the assassination of President Lincoln. Johnson stepped into office after the Civil War, which was a fragile time for the country. As president after the war, it was Johnson’s duty to assist in unifying the southern slave states and the northern rebellious population, as one country. This was a difficult task to complete, especially after the assassination of a former president who really helped in the Civil War and with slavery. Johnson tried to quickly restore the states in the Union, however his actions lead to a presidential impeachment. Due to his violations and counterproductive acts, President Andrew Johnson deserved his impeachment.

Having a president is something that no country had ever done, or thought to do. The first election was in 1789, where George Washington became the first President. Eight years later in 1797, John Adams was elected to be our second president. Four years after that, Thomas Jefferson became our third president. No one knew exactly how this new idea would affect the United States, but we had to take a leap of faith. Having a president ended up being a great thing for America, it brought a sense of leadership without one person having too much control. Washington, Adams, and Jefferson each had a different way of growing up, they had distinct characteristics, and they lead in various ways.

George Washington had many roles throughout his life: planter, army general, statesman, and husband. In the end, however, his time as President of the United States proved to be his most challenging role. Although Washington had little desire to govern the new republic and continuously doubted his ability, he also knew that he was the only person the American people trusted enough to act as their leader. During his time as president, George Washington encountered many challenges, including establishing a new system of government, facing enormous financial debt from the War of Independence, and disagreement about how to proceed with regards to foreign policy and domestic conflicts.

Barbara Jordan gave a powerful speech regarding President Nixon and his possible impeachment for the Watergate Scandal. Throughout the speech, Jordan expressed her standpoint and reasoning as to why Nixon should be impeached. The main argument that Jordan presents in this speech is that the President should be impeached due to his actions that jeopardize the people of the United States and the Constitution.

The Framers of the Constitution had doubts about government operations and how governments worked. They were inclined to think the governments (kings) take away power from the people. However, they understood that some type of system was necessary for a nation to function. The Framers needed to make sure the government did not have complete control of the people. Creating Federalism in the United States allowed the government to set rules and standards for citizens while keeping checks and balances on their own powers. The Framers wanted essentially, for the people to govern themselves by choosing the politicians that were in place to govern them. As well as having the option to decide if an elected official is not doing their job properly or governing the country properly.

In the last years of their tenures, the earliest presidents of U.S. history were either confronted with new issues or haunted by old ones which lingered throughout their presidency. The leaders of the first 50 years or so of American politics left the American people with a legacy of both effective and ineffective approaches to foreign policy, state affairs, oppositions, and economic parabolas. However, as the end of each of the presidencies neared, the “consent of the governed” went unnoticed, and Presidents George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson struggled to create and uphold the values and individual rights as promised under the new Constitution.

Federal or National, which side does the new proposed plan of government lean towards? James Madison begins his article, The Federalist, No. 39, by defining what a republican form of government is. It seems as if the people had forgotten what exactly a republic is. In Madison’s words a republic is “a government that derives all its power directly or indirectly from the great body of people; and is administered by persons holding their offices during pleasure for a limited period or during good behavior”. Those who criticized Madison say that there should be a federal form of government as said in the Articles of Confederation. There are questions to ask before determining if

The modern presidency powers have evolved from the evolution of the past combination of constitutional and evolutionary powers. The greatest fears that the anti-federalist once vision the President would have back in 1700 finally became fruitful from strong President Personalities. George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson were major influences in the early years of the 1800s, which shaped the President’s role in the national government. It was not until the 1930s after the 18th and 19th centuries when the shift of the dominant power of the Congress to the President in the national government. Then what is now seen in the 20th and 21st Century where the power of the executive branch currently has been at least equal power to the legislative

In 1974 the house judiciary committee recommended Articles of impeachment of President Nixon during the water gates scandal. The water gates scandal was a major political scandal that occurred in the United States in the 1970s, following a break in at the DNC headquarters at water gate office in Washington D.C. and President Nixon’s administration tried to cover it up.

The first Constitution article outlines the organizational structure and bylaws of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The section also defines legislative member term lengths, legislative candidate requirements – such as age and residency restrictions - and how the government will decide each state’s fiscal responsibility (based on population) to the federal government.