The Evolution of the Imperial Presidency from FDR to Obama, and How it Has Changed the Fabric of American Society. When the Constitution was first written by America’s founding fathers, they intended for the executive branch to serve the nation’s citizenry by keeping their best interests at heart, but stated that in no way should this branch be more powerful than any other—it be constantly checked and balanced by the legislative and judicial branches.. In James Madison’s Federalist Number 48, he states that in a representative republic, “the executive magistracy is carefully limited; both in the extent and the duration of its power”1. The founding fathers never intended for the role of President of the United States …show more content…
In November, 1936, FDR was given a second chance at presidency by an overwhelmingly large majority vote. After he experienced the disapproval by the Supreme Court, Roosevelt took matters into his own hands, and created a “court-packing” plan, which stated that for every justice above the age of 70, he was allowed one new justice – of his approval, meaning that he (female justices were not present in the Supreme Court just yet) would pass all acts that Roosevelt created. After this act, he placed 5 new justices on the Supreme Court, bringing the overall make up of justices in his favor3. Many citizens thought this was Roosevelt’s way of increasing the executive power, and portraying a dictatorship-like government, claiming that “Stalin had governed his country for 17 exacting years, Roosevelt his for 12 years nearly as exacting” (168)5. Franklin Delano Roosevelt finished 3 terms as president, and died of a cerebral hemorrhage during his 4th, putting Harry Truman, his Vice President at the time, in charge. FDR believed in a “New Deal” America, containing social welfare and unemployment, Medicare, government involvement within the economy to help regulate and set standards. Both of these presidencies changed the fabric of American society by bringing the country as a whole through incredibly difficult issues, and showing how, with government intervention, the economy can be brought
Most of the specifications for the executive branch in the Constitution, other than how he is to be elected, have to deal with the interactions between Congress and the President. The president can (fill in the blank) but only if (this part) of Congress approves. The powers of the president have been interpreted widely so that he has more power than I believe the Framers intended. They wanted him to be able to check Congress with veto power and be the head of the military. However, I think that presidents nowadays have too much power. They are active in trying force their policy agenda through Congress, manage foreign relations, and act as the administrative head of the entire nation. The textbook lays it out well in, "The vast size of the executive branch and the number and complexity of decisions that must be made each day pose a challenge for the White House.” (316) In order to deal with the stresses put on the executive branch, there are thousands of employees that work to give the president the information that he needs to make decisions. He has advisors, cabinet members, legislative liaisons; the list goes on and on, but he is the person who actually gets to make all of the choices. The President is limited in some ways and given more power in other ways by the structure laid out for him in the Constitution, and evolved to be what it is now.
Unlike Hoover, FDR was proactive, against rugged individualism and believed in a strong centralized government in order to get out of the deep depression. The programs that FDR initiated through the New Deal are still beneficial and in place to this day. The Social Security Act (SSA) provided checks that ensured the welfare of citizens. This program provided coverage to the disabled, children, adults, and more. Pension is also another aspect that the SSA provided and still provides to the elderly. The SSA provided recovery to many people during the Great Depression and it continues to be used in our society today. Unemployment benefits also originated from FDR’s New Deal and are still available to American citizens today. These forms of government securities benefit the American people and all owe their American benefits to FDR’s forward thinking attitude and his New Deal
C. Obama is an imperial president because he has violated the Constitution in many ways, including missing multiple budget deadlines, making appointments while the Congress is not in recess, and changing the Affordable Care Act without permission from Congress.
When FDR took office, the United States was experiencing one of, if not the worst, economic depression. Labeled the Great Depression, FDR knew that extreme government policies would need to be implemented to combat the problems that existed. To do this, FDR’s “New Deal” policies did just that. Whether it be the Social Security Program or any other aspect of the New Deal, the response was highly effective. In fact, many programs from this time are still in use today, showing just some of the ways that the role of the federal government was changed due to the presidency of FDR.
The New Deal period was a turning point in American politics. It was when the states voluntarily cease to claim much of their freedom from external control or influence. Also the President acquiring new authority and importance and the role of government in citizens' lives increasing. The New Deal was a bunch of expedient and populist systematic plans. Franklin Roosevelt had a general vision of what he wanted for America. He was prepared to drive through the structural changes required to reach his goals for the American people. Roosevelt never intended to overthrow the constitution, nor did he want to end capitalism and individualism but many people felt differently. Many felt as if he did. He wanted the American Dream just like whose who
During and directly prior to the Cold War era, the federal government was directly embroiled in the local economic and social life of the United States. President Roosevelt in the 1930s created a set of New Deal programs hoping to pull the economy back onto its feet from the Great Depression. Throughout his programs, President Roosevelt played a direct role in the shaping of the US economy and society as a whole. He provided jobs from the federal government to the unemployed through programs such as the CCC and WPA as well as playing an active roles in the lives of the American people by providing news update personally in his fireside chats and creating a social security program to assist the poor and the elderly. After Roosevelt’s presidency/death,
Until campaigning for the position of the 32nd President in 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt was relatively anonymous. Many argue that he created jobs, boosted the economy, and helped America back on the road of becoming a great nation. As the 32nd President, Roosevelt knew his most important tasks and legislations would be passed during his First 100 Days of presidency. During this time, he had a plan for the legislature he wanted to be passed to help America economically, known as the New Deal. The New Deal consisted of a series of domestic programs that were in response to The Great Depression, and the economic standing of the country in the early 1930’s. It also included laws that were passed due to presidential Executive Orders, and legislature
FDR’s New Deal was effective because it involved the government in the economy more than it had ever done before. In his first inaugural address, FDR describes the problems that the America is facing. The value of products had shrunken, taxes had risen, and unemployment was alarmingly high (Doc A). FDR’s audience was the people of America, and he was speaking
The vision of the founders of the Constitution was to create an energetic presidential fashion in which the president has enough energy to lead the nation yet be constrained to not threaten the liberty of the people. The lesson many Americans learned from their experience with the British was that liberty is threatened by executive power and safeguarded by legislative power (pg. 3). The framers were cautious of the responsibilities the executive branch would have so that tyranny would be prevented. The Framers created a democracy that prevents any branch from overstepping its constitutionally assigned limits, including the presidents. The framers decision was influenced by their experiences without an executive branch while the British government was under King George III. The
FDR changed America for the better within the first one hundred days. He did not necessarily fix the problems of the Great Depression, but he did help create programs that helped the economy, that are even around today. In the end, the New Deal programs were
The Great Depression, which began in 1929, resulted with the United States, as well as many other countries, in the worst economic position it had ever encountered and it was the duty of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to try to take charge and try to alleviate this crisis through a program he created which was known as the New Deal. Even though FDR was a Democrat himself, his policies were not completely partisan and drew criticism from both ends of the political spectrum. While the New Deal was a primarily left wing campaign through its huge show of government spending, it’s main goal was to protect capitalism and the free market and it also had a fair amount of important aspects on the right that promoted private business itself while
FDR’s policies put an end to Bonus Marchers, Food Riots and radical politics that had sprung up with revolutionary zeal in reaction to Herbert Hoover’s meager, snail-paced recovery measures. To that generation of Americans, Franklin Roosevelt saved the country in a way comparable only to Abraham Lincoln.
When Roosevelt came into office with his New Deal Policy, he provided the American people with a new hope for the future and started a new way of life that still has an impact today.
Imagine if the entire American government system was operated entire by the president. Every decision, law, and court ruling determined by only one person. There is no room for debate or questioning, ultimately leading to the abuse of power and authority. While this may seem completely absurd, many believe that this is not very far away from actual truth. Due to the uneven use of checks and balances among the three branches of government, it has resulted in the executive branch of the American government gaining too much power, therefore leaving the original intent of the constitution to be changed and unenforced.
In 1932, when Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office, the citizens of the United States had possessed sufficient time to realize that they could no longer be proud, but they must take anything they could get. Therefore, the programs set up by FDR’s New Deal program were perfect for the country at the time. These programs helped the people directly, providing relief, recovery, and reform. FDR based his plans on the philosophy of Keynesian economics, where the government spends money to make money. The government gave money and jobs to those in need, who in turn, had money to spend in the marketplace. The demand for products increased, and businesses were able to hire more workers and produce more products, as well as pay more money in taxes. FDR’s plans worked because they gave money not to those who would take advantage of the government, but to those who would use it in the way the government intended it to be used. During FDR’s first term in office alone, the unemployment rate dropped 4%. Because of FDR’s success in bringing the country out of the Depression, I give him an A.