The Office of the President of the United States: An examination

After gaining independence from Britain in 1783, the 13 former colonies organized their national government based on the Articles of Confederation, which proved to be an abject failure as the constitution. The Articles of Confederation failed in large part because they did not include any executive power (not surprising, considering the colonies' experience with King George III) and because they conferred no real power upon the legislature. The framers of the U.S. Constitution sought to remedy those defects by erecting a national government with defined authority. Moreover, they had learned from the states that a government solely comprised of a legislature proved unworkable. An executive branch would have to be included in the new government.

To achieve their goal of conferring power while also limiting it, the framers created a system of checks and balances among three branches of government (legislative, executive, and judicial). Nonetheless, they still viewe

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Nonetheless, Washington remained hugely popular, and indeed could have sought a third term in 1796ùor even sought the job permanently, as a sort of American king. Washington, however, recognized that the nation would not benefit from such an aggrandizement of power, even in his benevolent hands because he would be creating a dangerous precedent for more despotic successors. He stepped aside after two terms, setting a precedent that would last until the 20th century. John Adams, Washington's Vice President, succeeded him after winning the 1796 election. Subsequent Presidents would follow Washington's example almost exactly until 1829, and to a lesser degree until the Civil War started in 1861. Washington's successors employed ôdisinterested leadership,ö staying above the fray and rarely offering policy initiatives. They took their ceremonial role very seriously, and largely left the business of government to Congress. Even Jefferson seemed to adopt Hamilton's view of executive powers when the exigencies of the office dictated such action (i.e., the Louisiana Purchase). The President began to change after the election of John Quincy Adams in 1824. Andrew Jackson actually won the popular vote, but Adams won the job by a vo
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Approximate Word count = 2383
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)

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