Presidential power and its limitation
Now that we’re nearly halfway through President Trump’s first term in office, this is a great time to learn about both the powers and limitations of the presidency! The president holds a high level of celebrity status in the U.S. today. In case you haven’t noticed, you’ll find stories about him in the news every day. So it’s important to think about Executive power in our government, and to also think about how that power is limited.
INSTRUCTIONS
Write a three to five (3-5) page essay on presidential power addressing the following points. (Your paper should largely focus on Chapter 11 in the Gaddie textbook, but you will also be using articles to more fully develop your discussion.) Go beyond just answering the questions to develop some insights and analysis!
- Presidential powers are thoroughly covered in the book. Pick three or four of the many presidential powers listed in Section 11.1, Section 11.2 (especially Table 111.1), Section 11.6 & Section 11.7, to use as a foundation for what you think the presidency and presidential power are all about.
- Pick two or more of the president’s political resources and explain how they can give a president more power. (Section 11.3).
- What powers and resources does the president have to work with Congress to pass legislation (Section 11.5)? Do you think that our president uses these powers and resources well? How can a president use these things to be more powerful?
- And most importantly: What do you think limits presidential power? Based on what you’ve learned about checks and balances, how do the powers of the other branches of government limit the powers of the president? How about the public’s reactions to a president’s ideas? What about the media? You may use any part of the book (and/or the articles you choose) to provide specific examples.
Use the textbook and two or more articles that you choose from the list of sources below to help you develop your paper and answer the questions. You’re looking for articles about the presidency that can help you to support the claims you make in answering any of the questions above. Be sure to give full citations for all of your sources (other than Gaddie).
This assignment will be: Worth 100 points, 3-5 pages (double-spaced)
I expect well organized, clear and well written work. Remember to cite your sources. Make sure that the following appear on all of your assignments:
- Your name and the date the paper is submitted
- PAGE NUMBERS
- Also, please: (1) spell check your work, (2) avoid the use of inappropriate homonyms (i.e., their and there), and (3) watch out for apostrophe catastrophes (always use an apostrophe with a possessive).
