A Presidential Nation: Causes, Consequences, and Cures

by Genovese,Michael A.

• ISBN13: 9780813347219
• ISBN10: 0813347211
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2012-07-31
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

The Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial. Why do we devote monuments to the presidents? Why do we honor them, instead of Congress, or the courts? A Presidential Nationexamines how the presidency-an office limited by the Constitution and separation of powers-became the centerpiece of American government. Michael A. Genovese argues that in rebelling against the British, the Framers of the Constitution invented a circumscribed presidency to guard against executive tyranny. Yet, over time, presidential power has risen and congressional power declined to a point where the United States has a near imperial presidency. Reexamining the status of presidential power in the post-9/11 world, Dr. Genovese considers the alternatives, if any, to the current model of presidential power. A Presidential Nationis perfect for students of American Presidency and Federal Governance courses and anyone interested in the changing authority of the American political system.

Author Biography

Michael A. Genovese is professor of political science and director of the Institute for Leadership Studies at Loyola Marymount University. He is the associate editor of the journal White House Studies and the author of thirty-one books, including The Paradoxes of the American Presidency and Encyclopedia of the American Presidency.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Preface	p. 1
On Becoming a Presidential Nation	p. 3
In the Beginning: Inventing the Presidency	p. 11
The Rise of Presidential Power: From Chief Clerk to Leader in War, 1787-1865	p. 31
The Presidency Takes Center Stage, 1866-2000	p. 85
9/11 and the Presidency: The Most Dangerous Branch? Or, L'état C'est MOI, 2001-Present	p. 127
A Cure for the Imperial Presidency	p. 153
Conclusion: Judging America's Republican Experiment	p. 171
Primary Sources	p. 179
"Of Monarchy and Hereditary Succession," from Common Sense by Thomas Paine	p. 179
The Declaration of Independence	p. 189
The United States Constitution, Article II	p. 193
Gettysburg Address	p. 196
Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address	p. 197
Understanding the Forces that Impact Presidential Leadership	p. 201
Notes	p. 205
Bibliography	p. 215
Index	p. 225
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