How can a president affect the powers of the presidency?

Answer 1

George Washington's, John Adams', and Thomas Jefferson's presidencies were the first three executive powers the U.S. had ever had, and were of crucial importance to the survival of the fledgling country. While the administrations of Washington and Jefferson generally strengthened the nation, Adams' presidency was not as effective and did not have as much public support. George Washington entered the executive position in the new republic with unanimous approval and admiration for his military victories. He was reluctant to be the president, but accepted the status as his duty. As the first president, he set precedents for all other presidents that would follow him. His goals were to maintain neutrality, strengthen the unity of the nation, and to handle the economy under Alexander Hamilton's plan regarding the national debt, excise taxes, protective tariffs, and a national bank. Although Washington's administration did maintain neutrality and avoid war, it was at the cost of the unpopular Jay's treaty with England, which only restated the Treaty of Paris of 1783 requiring the British to remove their troops from the Northwest, and gave Britain the "most favored nation" trade status with the U.S. The treaty infuriated people and destabilized the strength of foreign relationships, but it did manage to avoid war. Washington was successful at unifying the new nation, because at the time of his presidency, political parties had not emerged yet into a two party system that so clearly divided the nation during Adams and Jefferson's presidencies. Washington's administration did put into practice Hamilton's economic plan, and while it brought strength to the federal government, it did necessarily strengthen the republic because some issues divided the nation. The federal assumption of state debts angered most of the south, because they had already paid off their debts. The excise taxes, especially those on whiskey, infuriated the frontiersmen, and thus led to the Whiskey rebellion in 1794. However, Washington, sent 12,000 troops to silence the uprising, and showed that federal concerns would preside over local concerns. In general, Washington's administration was successful in strengthening the new republic during the delicate, formative years of the post-Articles of Confederation government. Adams' administration, however, was not as successful. He was elected in 1796 after enduring two terms as the Vice President under Washington, a position he thought of as useless and embarrassing. Adams' handling of foreign policies and domestic affairs diminished the support for the federalist power and foretold the revolution of 1800. Adams damaged the republic by approving unconstitutional laws, believing in the "monarchial principle", and not maintaining peace. Some unconstitutional laws that Adams and his administration approved were: The Alien Act, which limited immigration, the Sedition Act, which punished those who wrote or spoke out against the government, and Federal Property taxes. The approval of these laws infuriated Jefferson's supporters and damaged the credibility of the Federalist Party, as well as divided the nation clearly into a two-party system that Washington warned against in his Farewell Address. Adams' confidence in the monarchial principle was often misunderstood, and he was thought to be a supporter of monarchy over republic, when he really just thought a monarch would be the best executive leader for the European nations until they could become true republics. Nevertheless, his belief and his ceremonial handling of the presidency made many distrust his intentions and question his thirst for power in their minds. By entering a "Quasi-War" with France he did not maintain peace, but he did demonstrate American power in the handling of the XYZ affair. His administration sent three men to negotiate with France, but they would only do so if the United Sates paid them, loaned them money, and apologized for past indiscretions. Not wanting the U.S. to appear weak, Adams did not accept the treaty, because it did not maintain neutrality, but it did show American assertiveness. On the whole, Adams' administration was unproductive in strengthening the republic and divided the nation greatly, but did not allow itself to be bullied by France. The unpopularity of Adams' administration foretold the revolution of 1800, when Jefferson was elected as president. The Federalist Party had lost so much support during the Adams years, so Jefferson won by a landslide. As a Democratic-Republican, he was very effective in strengthening the Republic, although his first term was more successful than his second. He believed the federal government should not be all-powerful, he had the interests of farmers in mind, he sympathized with the French during their revolution, and he was not in favor of slavery but recognized its need and thought free uneducated blacks would be a problem in the country. While in office Jefferson decreased the size of the army, reduced the national debt, and cut government jobs to limit the power of the federal government. He also got many of the unconstitutional acts passed by that Adams repealed to strengthen Republican morale. In 1803, Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon for $15 million. He struggled with himself morally on whether to buy it because the constitution did not give him the right to buy land, but bought it to give Americans Navigation rights to the Mississippi, expand farmland for the agrarian society, and protect America from Napoleonic expansionist plots. The purchase increased his popularity, extended the republic, and more than doubled the size of the country. During the French Revolution, most democratic-republicans sympathized with the French overthrowing the monarchy, but the majority of federalists supported the British as the Anglo-French relationship soured. There were questions of whether the United States' alliance with France was legitimate anymore, as the French monarchy was no longer in existance. Jefferson decided on a policy of "peaceable coercion" in regards to the American relationships with France and Great Britain. He established sanctions that forbid the U.S. from trading with foreign nations, causing American trade to suffer. The Embargo Act of 1807 made Jefferson disliked by merchants, so that caused division within the republic. However, Jefferson strengthened the republic, even more so than Washington and Adams because he was such a staunch republican, but his administration was successful. As the first three presidents of the United States after having a confederation, Washington, Adams, and Jefferson had the imperative task of strengthening the new republic. The administrations of Washington and Jefferson were more triumphant at their mission than Adams was, but all had their strengths and weaknesses. All the administrations, however, cemented America as a nation of substance that would eventually become the most powerful nation in the world.

Answer 2

The power to appoint judges and justices to the Article III federal courts, with the "advice and consent" of the Senate. This power extends to all courts of the Judicial Branch, as well as US Bankruptcy Court (which is an Article I tribunal).

• US District Courts
• US Court of International Trade
• US Court of Appeals Circuit Courts
• Supreme Court of the United States
• US Bankruptcy Courts (Article I)

Other powers that check the Federal courts are the President's ability to grant pardons (except in the case of impeachment) and his ability to exercise -- or refrain from exercising -- his police powers to enforce the courts' decisions. The latter power impeded progress of the Civil Rights Movement under President Eisenhower.

Answer 3

president affect the power of the presidency by acting without permission from the congress..

Answer 4

Presidents own views affected the power of the office because the congress/constitution gives the presidents more power.