The Presidency: As Time Changed Power Gained

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorUniversity, Bachelor's February 2008

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The founding fathers believe we needed a strong executive to make important decisions that the president himself only makes. The founding fathers believed that was necessary so in times of emergency the proper response will be taken as quickly and correctly as possible. Because of the growth in size and complexity of the government and new technology the president is exercising much more power than the founding fathers once thought. There are three major powers that the president has that have given him more power.

The presidents power as commander and chief is known as his biggest power of all to most citizens. That is because that power is directly related to the nations security. The founding fathers gave this power to the president so that in case of an emergency to our nation or other nations that we needed a strong executive that could act when the time has come to do so, so that our nation can react as quickly as possible.

In this modern era presidents are no longer seeking congressional approval before going into war.

The president's power as chief legislator has changed from what the Founding Fathers first believed. They assumed that congress would be in control over its agenda and its budget. Now, the President has a large staff to help write the legislation that will later determine what largely the congress will do, including the proposed budget. The president's power of chief legislator has expanded because of the growth of the executive branch of government. Instead of just the president and his staff, the executive branch now has many large agencies such as the Department of Justice, Treasury Department and Environmental Protection Agency. Congress now relies on these agencies for the proposal of complicated legislation.

The President's power as chief diplomat has...