Evolution of the Imperial Presidency from Fdr to Obama
The Evolution of the Imperial Presidency from FDR to Obama, and How it Has Changed the Fabric of American Society.
When the Constitution was first written by America’s founding fathers, they intended for the executive branch to serve the nation’s citizenry by keeping their best interests at heart, but stated that in no way should this branch be more powerful than any other—it be constantly checked and balanced by the legislative and judicial branches.. In James Madison’s Federalist Number 48, he states that in a representative republic, “the executive magistracy is carefully limited; both in the extent and the duration of its power”1. The founding fathers never intended for the role of President of the United States of America to become ‘imperialistic’, meaning that the government takes too much control, and is too involved in the affairs of the nation. However, during the time of the Great Depression and after Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated, the government became progressively more involved in American society; this trend has continued through Barack Obama’s presidency in present-day politics. Each new presidential term is faced with new dilemmas, which vary and have evolved significantly from issues of the past, and after each one, the federal government becomes more and more involved and, as a result, increasingly ‘imperialistic’.
From the beginning of his inauguration on March 4, 19332, Franklin Delano Roosevelt opened the nation’s curtains to the new dawn of presidential imperialism, starting with his ‘One Hundred Days Congress’ as a response to the tragic state of America’s economy and general well-being as a result of the Great Depression. He started by passing the Emergency Banking Relief Act, where all remaining banks were closed in order to stop loans and to inspect each one to ensure that it was stable enough to reopen. If it wasn’t, it was remained closed until it was given enough money by the federal bank to
When the Constitution was first written by America’s founding fathers, they intended for the executive branch to serve the nation’s citizenry by keeping their best interests at heart, but stated that in no way should this branch be more powerful than any other—it be constantly checked and balanced by the legislative and judicial branches.. In James Madison’s Federalist Number 48, he states that in a representative republic, “the executive magistracy is carefully limited; both in the extent and the duration of its power”1. The founding fathers never intended for the role of President of the United States of America to become ‘imperialistic’, meaning that the government takes too much control, and is too involved in the affairs of the nation. However, during the time of the Great Depression and after Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated, the government became progressively more involved in American society; this trend has continued through Barack Obama’s presidency in present-day politics. Each new presidential term is faced with new dilemmas, which vary and have evolved significantly from issues of the past, and after each one, the federal government becomes more and more involved and, as a result, increasingly ‘imperialistic’.
From the beginning of his inauguration on March 4, 19332, Franklin Delano Roosevelt opened the nation’s curtains to the new dawn of presidential imperialism, starting with his ‘One Hundred Days Congress’ as a response to the tragic state of America’s economy and general well-being as a result of the Great Depression. He started by passing the Emergency Banking Relief Act, where all remaining banks were closed in order to stop loans and to inspect each one to ensure that it was stable enough to reopen. If it wasn’t, it was remained closed until it was given enough money by the federal bank to
Bibliography: (Numbers correlate with subscripts) 1) Madison, James. United States. The Federalist. Cong. Doc. #47. Web. 2) "Presidential Inaugurations: Menu of All Presidents." Global Gateway: World Culture & Resources (Library of Congress). Web. 29 Mar. 2011. . 3) "American Experience . The Presidents | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. . 4) Healy, Gene. The Cult of the Presidency: America 's Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power. Washington, D.C.: Cato Institute, 2009. Print. 5) Schlesinger, Arthur M. The Cycles of American History. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999. Print. 6) United States. Truman Loyalty Oath. 1947. H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences Online. Web. 01 Apr. 2011. . 7) Emery, Fred. Watergate: the Corruption of American Politics and the Fall of Richard Nixon. New York: Touchstone, 1995. Print. 8) Schlesinger, Arthur M. The Imperial Presidency. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004. Print.