The Development of the American Presidency

Abstract

1. Envisioning the Presidency 1.1 Revolutionary Experience 1.2 Framers' Doubts and Disagreements 1.3 Four Visions of the Presidency 1. 4 Theories of Political Development PART I. PRESIDENT AND THE PEOPLE 2. Selecting the President 2.1 Introductory Puzzle: How Was Jefferson Almost Beaten by His Vice Own President? 2.2 Framers' Presidential Selection Plan 2.3 Founding Elections 2.4 Playing a New Party Game 2.5 Contemporary Nomination Process 2.6 Contemporary Debate over the Electoral College 2.7 Obstacles to Reform in a State-Based Electoral System 3. Public Presidency 3.1 Introductory Puzzle: Why did Lincoln Play Second Fiddle at Gettysburg? 3.2 Gauntlet of Conflicting Public Expectations 3.3 Old Patrician Ways 3.4 New Partisan Ways 3.5 Going Public at the Turn of the Twentieth Century 3.6 Penning the President's Words: Rise of the Speechwriter 3.7 Faith in Words: Effects of Presidential Rhetoric in the Television Age PART II. PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS 4. Legislative Presidency 4.1 Introductory Puzzle: Lessons from Obama's Joe Wilson Moment 4.2 Constitutional Brakes 4.3 Motives of Respect: George Washington's Relations with Congress 4.4 Alexander Hamilton: Walpole to Washington's George II 4.5 Hidden Hand Leadership of Thomas Jefferson 4.6 Congress Resurgent 4.7 Veto: Whig Theory and Democratic Practice 4.8 Abraham Lincoln: Whig in the White House? 4.9 Clay's Revenge: Era of Legislative Supremacy 4.10 New School of Executive Leadership 4.11 Woodrow Wilson: President as Prime Minister 4.12 More Wilsonian than Whig: From Harding to Hoover 4.13 FDR: Legislator in Chief 4.14 In the Shadow of FDR 5. War-Making Presidency 5.1 Introductory Puzzle: Why Didn't Truman Call a a War? 5.2 Opening the Debate over Prerogatives and Power 5.3 Original Understandings 5.4 Debating Washington's Neutrality Proclamation: Helvidius v Pacificus 5.5 Fighting Indians and Pirates in the Early Republic 5.6 Congressional Propensity to War 5.7 First Presidential War: Polk's with Mexico| 5.8 Fighting the Civil 5.9 Becoming a World Power 5.10 Entering World II 5. 11 Cold and the Origins of the National Security State 5.12 Vietnam War: Origins and Aftermath 5.13 Congressional Checks on Presidential Powers 5.14 on Terror: Presidency in Perpetual PART III. THE PRESIDENT AND THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH 6. Organizing the Presidency 6.1 Introductory Puzzle: Why does a Kid get to tell Bill Clinton's Cabinet what to do? 6.2 Founders Organize the Presidency 6.3 An Almost Insupportable Burden: Origins of Presidential Staff 6.4 Organizing the Lincoln White House 6.5 Salvation by Staff: Cautionary Tale of Ulysses Grant 6.6 Settling for Second Best: Private Secretaries in the Gilded Age 6.7 Managing Government and Budgets in the Nineteenth Century 6.8 No Responsibility Exists: Progressive Quest for Administrative Reform 6.9 FDR and the Making of the Managerial Presidency 6.10 Richard Nixon and the Origins of the Administrative Presidency 6.11 Administrative Presidency after Nixon 7. Removal Power and the Unitary Executive 7.1 Introductory Puzzle: Curious Case of the IBC Commissioner 7.2 The Great Debate of 1789 7.3 Removals in the Early Republic 7.4 Jacksonian Defense of Rotation in Office 7.5 Jackson's Removal of William Duane 7.6 Hypocrites All: The Tumultuous Scramble for Place 7.7 Andrew Johnson and Tenure of Office Act of 1867 7.8 Party Patronage and Civil Service Reform 7.9 Enter the Courts 7.10 Political Origins of the Unitary Executive: Reagan Years 7.11 Unitary Executive in the Presidency of George W. Bush 7.12 Unitary Executive Reconsidered PART IV. THE PRESIDENT AND THE LAW 8. President and the 8.1 Introductory Puzzle: How Earl Warren Became the Last Liberal Chief Justice 8.2 Founding Arguments 8.3 Court Packing in the Federalist Era 8.4 Jefferson's Assault on the Gibraltar of the Judiciary 8.5 Driving Us into Consolidation: On the Road to McCulloch 8.6 Andrew Jackson Confronts the Court 8.7 Making the Court Safe for Slavery 8.8 Ridding the Court of Southerners 8.9 Rise of Judicial Supremacy 8.10 Franklin Roosevelt v. the Supreme Court 8.11 A Reinvigorated, Liberal-minded Judiciary 8.12 Tilting Right 8.13 Partisan Polarization in the Contemporary Confirmation Process 8.14 Future of Judicial Supremacy 9. Law and Executive Power 9.1 Introductory Puzzle: What was Nixon Thinking? 9.2 Law and the Constitution 9.3 So Far Above the Law: Executive Power from Locke to Lincoln 9.4 Judging Executive Power 9.5 All the President's Lawyers PART V. CONCLUSION 10. Evaluating Presidents 10.1 Presidential Ratings Game 10.2 Deal of the Cards 10.3 Play of the Hand 10.4 Where have all the Great (or even Good) Presidents Gone?