Unit 3

The Executive Branch

I. Presidency

A. Constitutional Qualifications for Presidency

1. Article II, Sec. 1 : the president must be-a. native bornb. resident for 14 yearsc. 35 years old

2. Article II, Sec 1: term: four years3. Amendment 22: Re - elected once.4. Amendment 25: If the president dies, resigns or is

impeached and convicted, the following will be president:

a. vice president b. Speaker of the Housec. President Pro Tempore of the Senated. Cabinet in order formed: State

B. Duties1. Head of Government

a. Supervises economyb. Workings of the federal government. c. Executive orders: offical rules of presidentd. Commander-in-Chiefe. Veto Lawsf. State of the Union – propose legislationg. Federal judgesh. Ambassadorsi. Treatiesj. Pardons

2. Head of State – Chief Diplomat3. Head of Political Party

C. Character or Manner of Ruling1. Passive:

a. Relies on advisorsb. Pass the blame to themc. Doesn’t like a lot of info

2. Active:a. Makes most decisionsb. Takes the blamec. Policy wonk (likes to read and know a lot)

3. Negativea. Dislikes the presidencyb. Accepted it out of reluctancec. Socially introverted (shy)

4. Positive:a. Loves “pomp and circumstance.” (fancy lifestyle)b. Enjoys attention of the presidency. c. Socially extroverted.

Do the following in your notes:

1. Evaluate President George W. Bush: a. Is he a passive or active president? Why?

b. Is he a positive or negative president? Why?

2. Name a positive, active president from your history classes. What made you pick this person?

D. Washington

1. Established precedents

2. Dignity and honor of the presidency.

3. Supremacy of federal government and executive branch (Whiskey Rebellion).

4. Foreign affairs – a. Neutrality Act

b. Peace with Jay’s Treaty with Britain

E. Adams and Jefferson1. Adams

a. Elected by slim margin.b. Believed in a strong federal governmentc. Loose constructionist – build on the Constitutiond. Passed the Alien and Sedition Acts to silence critics

2. Jeffersona. Popular among peopleb. Strict constructionist – do only what the Constitution says.c. Slashed the size of the government – fiscally conservatived. Liberal when it came to rights.e. Made the LA Purchase reluctantlyf. Sent navy to fight pirates in north of Africa.g. Embargo Act made him unpopular.

F. General Trends

1. Presidents become unpopular over their term (usually).

2. Politicians become more moderate overtime (usually).

1. Jackson - Democrata. South Carolina says no to higher tariffs

i. President threatens to invade SCii. Congress compromises with lower tax

b. Indian Removal Acti. Supreme Court says it is unconstitutionalii. President says “who cares” and removes them anyway.

c. Vetoi. Says no to 2nd Bank of the USA, over Congress’s objectionii. Vetoes more bills than all previous presidents combined

2. Tyler - Whiga. Called “His Accidency”b. Congress thinks he is a joke.c. He vetoes many laws so his Cabinet quits and the Whig party kicks him out.

3. Polk - Democrata. Controls all decisions of Mexican Warb. Is jealous of his generals (they are Whigs)c. Works so hard he gets sick and cannot run again.

G. Manifest Destiny Presidents

H. Abraham Lincoln - Republican

1. Led us during Civil War.2. Suspended habeas corpus.3. Arrests government officials who want to

secede to South.4. Arrests reporters who sympathize with the

South.5. Declares martial law in some places. 6. Raises military without permission from

Congress.7. Figures he can do it because the country is

mostly Republican.

I. Weak Presidents

1. Andrew Johnsona. Southern, racist, and democrat

b. Accidental president.

c. Would not reconstruct the South the way Congress wanted.

d. Impeached, but not removed.

2. Ulysses S. Granta. Civil War hero.

b. Failed to reconstruct the South or protect blacks.

c. Trusted corrupt friends too much.

J. Modern Presidents

1. Teddy Roosevelta. Environmentalistb. Food and Drug inspectionsc. Panama Canal

2. Woodrow Wilsona. WWIb. Failed League of Nations

3. FDRa. New Dealb. Elected to four terms.c. WWIId. United Nations

4. Trumana. Atom bomb to finish WWII.b. Underdog wins election in 1948.c. Continued New Deal.d. Sent troops to fight Korean communists.

5. Eisenhowera. Troops back from Korea.b. Peaceful, rich era.c. Sent troops to Little Rock to protect blacks who attended white

school.

6. Kennedya. New Frontier – help poor, lower taxes, space program.b. Bay of Pigs – failed to provide air support to invade Cubac. Cuban Missile Crisis – Blockaded island to stop WMDd. Assassinated in Dallas.

7. Johnsona. Continues Kennedy's programs.

b. Creates “Great Society” = help poor, working class, young, elderly, Civil Rights

c. Bogged down by Vietnam.

8. Nixona. Vietnam ends.

b. Makes peace with China & USSR.

c. Covers up Watergate scandal.

d. Resigns.

9. Ford – pardons Nixon, unable to bring nation together politically or economically.

10. Carter –1 term because = Bad economy & Americans taken hostage in Iran.

11. Reagan

a. Brings hope to America.

b. Cuts taxes and spends $ on military to scare USSR.

12.Clintona. Balances budget, Reforms welfare.

b. More $ to education & police.

c. Impeached = he lied under oath about Lewinsky affair, but not removed.

II. Bureaucracy

A. White House Staff

1. Chief of Staff – in charge

2. Press Secretary – talks to USA

3. Thousands of employees

4. White House Office – closest advisors work here (West Wing)

5. Executive Office of the Prez = over 1,000 researchers

B. Executive Branch

1. 14 Cabinet Departmentsa. State – diplomacyb. Defensec. Treasuryd. Justice – Attorney General

2. Independent Agencies – i.e. FBI, CIA3. Patronage – old system of giving jobs to

friends (spoils system)4. Civil Service System – Tests, seniority, and

performance determine jobs.

5. Classified employees – part of the civil service system, permanent.

6. Unclassified employees – secretive or appointed workers.

7. Runs the government day to day

8. Testifies to Congress

C. Five Characteristics

1. Specialization: concentrate on one area

2. Hierarchy: a chain of command

3. Explicit rules

4. Impartiality: Neutral

5. Merit promotions