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THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT.
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Discusses the evolvement of the American President to the most powerful man in the world.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Discusses the evolvement of the American President to the most powerful man in the world. Growth of the power of the executive branch & the federal government. New Constitutional Amendments. Refers to the Nixon presidency as the apex of the conflict between increasing national authority & growing presidential power. The Watergate Scandal & the restoration of the system of checks & balances by Congress. Relationahip between national authority & presidential power.

Paper Introduction:
In the United States of America, as the nation has grown and developed, so the power and influence of the national government has broadened in scope and magnitude. Simultaneously, the executive branch of the American government has evolved in dramatic fashion; the American President is recognized today as the most powerful man in the world. These two processes -- the increasing of national authority and the growth of presidential power -- have at times complemented one another and at times contradicted one another. Ultimately, these are trends that are precariously linked, and forever intertwined. In the interest of protecting the individual citizen, the American system initially provided for basic sovereignty to

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"The Case Against the States." Time. National authority, having received strong Constitutionaljustifications, tipped the scales of power away from local legislatures(Kelley, 1991, p. Having been effectively circumvented and antagonizedthroughout the duration of his presidency, Congress was ready to correctthe prolific use of presidential power that had blossomed under Nixon. In the interest of protecting the individual citizen, the Americansystem initially provided for basic sovereignty to reside in the separatestates (Kinsley, 1995, p. The Nixonpresidency represents the apex of this conflict between increasing nationalauthority and growing presidential power. 612). Retrieved October 15 from the World Wide Web: www.ThisNation.com. As the United States hasdeveloped economically, socially, and politically, the need for a strongcentral government has intensified. Jan 16, 1995 v145 n2 p78(2).McGinnis, John. The United States had become a super power,and therefore the American President -- should he find a way to wrest poweraway from the Congress -- could now consequently also wield more power thanever before. Congress spared no effort in executing PresidentNixon's reprimand. As the power of the national government increases, so the power ofthe president can inflate to tyrannical proportions. As a result, national authority hasstrengthened, taking by legal means significant amounts of power away fromstate and local governments. Throughout the 2 thcentury, dramatic incidents have commanded that the President assumetremendous liberties. "Post-Federal Case: Federalism Would Now Be Impossible..."National Review, Sep 1 1998 v5 n16 p3 (2).ThisNation. 713-4). Indriving him from office, the Congress took a first step in restoring sometrue balance to the checks and balances system that is expected to prevailin this country (Kelley, 1991, pp. The government of theUnited States, in vesting the federal structure with more and more nationalauthority, has allowed for the President to manipulate more and more ofthat authority. Similarly, in the 196 sthe Warren Court would take drastic measures with the Constitution,allowing for most of the Bill of Rights to be incorporated into the due-process clause of the 14th Amendment, thereby stripping the states of evenmore power. Volume II, Seventh Edition. However, as Nixon (andsome of his predecessors and successors) have illustrated, presidentialpower can, when utilized strategically, usurp a fair amount of nationalauthority. And in the United States, where national authority has become aforce to be reckoned with, the power of the president can be formidableindeed. Richard Nixon inherited a pattern of executive sovereignty that hadbeen in development for nearly fifty years. Though the activities of the Court during these critical years wereconcerned primarily with civil rights, the effects were more sweeping; TheWarren Court, aside from ushering in an era of liberalism, also greatlyenhanced the degree of national supremacy that existed at the federallevel. 623). Simultaneously, the executive branch ofthe American government has evolved in dramatic fashion; the AmericanPresident is recognized today as the most powerful man in the world. Nixon, actinglargely on precedent, extended the expansion of his political power byantagonizing Congress time and again, impounding government monies,instating sweeping veto powers, and utilizing secret government agencies toadvance his agenda for the nation. 3 ). In the United States of America, as the nation has grown anddeveloped, so the power and influence of the national government hasbroadened in scope and magnitude. The Congress, often viewed as an impediment to a strongpresidency, was purposely deterred by the executive office in the name ofprogressive reform and the interest of national security. Works CitedKelley, Alfred H.; Harbison, Winfred A.; and Belz, Herman. This is particularly true when a president seems to attempt tomonopolize a disproportionate share of the aggregate national power. The American Constitution: Its Origins and Development. The Founding Fathers,were they alive today, may not be comfortable with the extremelycentralized power structure that defines our federal government. The assumption of power by the President hasprecipitated undeclared naval warfare against the Germans (in 1941 byRoosevelt), the military quarantining of Cuba(in 1962 by Kennedy), and thedeployment of hundreds of thousands of troops to VietNam without aCongressional declaration of war (throughout the Johnson and Nixonyears)(The Executive: Presidential Power, 2 )). "The Executive: Presidential Power." 2 . In this, perhaps truepower lies with the people after all. However,the United States of America, in spite of its transformations, continues tobe the longest standing democracy in the world. Throughout thefollowing centuries, these powers would expand, gradually edging out thestates in the battle for supremacy.By the early 2 th century, new Constitutional amendments had cropped upthat granted the federal government more power. Similarly, as the national authorityincreases, the power available for the President to assume increasesproportionally, sometimes with dramatic results. The 1 th Amendment was drafted specificallyfor this purpose. 657-66 , 667). 78). The Warren Court, in utilizing this incorporation ofAmendments into the due-process clause, began to establish a governingstructure in this country that allowed for national standards to be legallyimposed on local communities (Kelley, 1991, p. At the crux of the matter is the concept of what it is to have adivided government. Thus, it is clear that though national authority and presidentialpower have increased along side one another, they have not always beencompatible. Ultimately, it is clear that national authority and presidential powerhave a tenuous but lasting relationship. New York: W.W. Ultimately, these are trends that areprecariously linked, and forever intertwined. Clearly, a power struggle had developedwithin the American government (Kelley, 1991, pps. Norton & Company, 1991.Kinsley, Michael. The United States, by employing a three branch system,has provided some defense against tyrannical rule. Thus, the two processes, though in some respectsconfluent, were ultimately in conflict with one anther. Of course, such a struggle could not have taken place were it not forthe sheer concentration of power that now existed at the national level.National authority, having been bolstered by victories in two World Wars,the industrial revolution, and the decisions of the Supreme Court, hadreached an impressive level. The Watergate scandal would usher in the end of the Nixon style ofexecutive sovereignty. Similarly, American Presidents have assumed power in stages, oftencoinciding with the increasing of national authority. Thesetwo processes -- the increasing of national authority and the growth ofpresidential power -- have at times complemented one another and at timescontradicted one another. At the time it was drafted, the federal government wasresponsible primarily for maintaining a free-trade zone and to protect thecountry from foreign aggression (McGinnis, 1998, p. At the time, the expansion ofPresidential power was clearly accepted as politically and constitutionallylegitimate.

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