two years for the House) and different constituencies. In addition, the executive and legislative branches would operate in dissimilar fashion.
The framers long debated the particulars of the executive branch. They considered a plural executive, the election of the President by Congress or state legislatures, and the absolute veto. Ultimately they settled on a sole executive and a broad statement in Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution (ôthe executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of Americaö). The rest of Article II, Section 1 details the mechanism for electing the President, the qualifications for the job, and the oath, among other matters.
Article II, Section 2 details the President's powers. He is the Commander in Chief of the nation's military forces, which had largely disbanded after the Revolutionary War, turning defense functions over to state militias. The framers conferred upon the President the power to make treaties with foreign governments, subject to the two-thirds approval of the Senate. Article II, Section 3 reveals the framers' true intent, declaring that ôhe shall receive ambassadors and other public Ministers.ö In other words, they viewed the post as somewhat ceremonial, similar to the British monarchy today. Still, they left most of the Presidency undefined.
That is where George Washington comes in. The leader of American forces during the Revolutionary War enjoyed overwhelming support among the framers and the population as a whole, not only for his military exploits but also for his nonpartisanship and ability to stay above the fray. ôOnly the widespread willingness to entrust one man, General Washington, with executive power (itself an unrepublican sentiment, of course) allowed the delegates to fashion and then the people to accept such an untested presidential office.ö
Thus, when Washington became President in 1789, he assumed an office that had a ...