CHAPTER EIGHT
The Presidency

Take a Position

Even though the powers of the presidency have changed from the era of the traditional presidency to the modern presidency, the constitutional powers of the president have remained the same. Why do some presidents in different eras have different levels of power than others?

Take a position: What explains why presidential powers have changed over time? Is it the character of individual presidents, or the shifting demands of the American public?

As you develop your argument, answer the following questions:

• There have only been forty-three presidents, each with different characters and styles of governing. Have the styles and characters of these presidents changed the presidency? Or does the test of time show that individual presidents leave the office basically unchanged?
• Although the size of the office of the presidency has grown over time, have the responsibilities and abilities of the presidency itself changed dramatically over time? Why or why not?
• Has the public, with its changing ideas about government and the president, demanded that the president have more power? Which eras illustrate this point? Which eras refute this assertion?