Study GuideAmerican Government–The President1. The ExecuƟve BranchTheConstitution created the executive branch, headed by thepresident—a big change from theweak executive under the Articles of Confederation.•Some Founders wanted avery strong executive, almost like an elected king.•But the memory of fightingBritish monarchywas still fresh, so they settled for alimitedpresidency.1.1Powers of the PresidentThe Constitution gives the president the power to:•Execute the laws•Serve ascommander in chiefof the militaryThe Constitution doesnot clearly define the president’s rolein domestic or foreign policy.•People who wanted aweak presidentsaw the role as achief clerk, carrying out Congress’sorders.•But nothing in the Constitution prevented the presidency from becoming apowerfulleadership positionor arival to Congress.1.2Limits on the PresidencyThe president’s powers arechecked in several ways:•Congress can override vetoes•Senate must approve appointments•Term limits:Four-year term,maximum of two terms(22nd Amendment, 1951)•Impeachment:The House can bring formal charges, and the Senate can remove thepresident if convictedEven with these checks, thepower and influence of the presidency have grown significantlyoverthe past 200 years.Preview Mode
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