The Office of the American Presidency
The American Constitution is, without dispute, one of the most significant political achievements of western civilization. The authors of the Constitution expounded the philosophy of their own political world, while at the same time leaving a legacy to protect, guide, and shape their country throughout all of history. Although there are many interesting aspects to this very complex document, this paper focuses solely on how the Founding Fathers theoretically envisioned the office of the American Presidency. My approach is not to merely compile a list of presidential powers, as a cursory reading of the constitution provides this information; but to briefly explore why the office was necessary and what role the Founding Fathers intended that a chief executive would fulfill. The truth is that everyone was a little nervous at the idea of having a chief executive. The cause of this uneasiness isn't difficult to understand considering that America had just finished fighting for independence from a single executive in the person of the King of England. The reason a presidential office was written into the design of the Constitution, at all, was a matter of structural necessity. To understand the need for an executive we must first exa
Although Madison is credited with including this feature in the Constitution, the idea of a mixed constitution as a stable form of government can be easily traced to ancient Rome. Greek philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle also attested to the soundness of the structure. Madison proclaims that Montesquieu is the "oracle who is always consulted and cited on this subject." However, Montesquieu borrowed political philosophy so heavily from Polybius that it is difficult to recognize the original, fully developed idea of a mixed constitutional republic as coming from anyone but Polybius. For example, Polybius writes that a mixed constitution is, " a single state with all three 4) The President is commander-in-chief of the army and navy. This title is equivalent to the "first general" or "first admiral", whereas the King's power extends to declaring war and raising and regulating military, etc. 2) The President would be liable to be impeached, tried, and convicted of high crimes and misdemeanors, whereas the King is sacred and inviolable. The surviving writings on the design of the Constitution, in the collective form of the Federalist Papers, are replete with examples of the exact powers and structure of the office of the executive. The general design of the office was an executive that would serve as a unitary figurehead, act as a balance against the other two branches of government, and preserve and promote the ceremonial and ambassadorial functions of government. The most specific design intent of the office was to prevent the accumulation of power into one man. Many general political science readings leave a romant
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Approximate Word count = 1103
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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