Lesson Two

The Executive Branch: Our Presidency and Cabinet

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A Brief History of the Presidency

When our nation was first formed, there was concern about how powerful the role of the nation's leader should be. Europe was ruled by monarchs at that time, and the new colonists feared a return to an autocratic form of government such as they experienced under England before the war.

George Washington was head of the first Constitutional Convention in 1787, where 12 of the original 13 states debated the role of the presidency. The new Constitution created an executive branch of government, which the president and vice president would represent. At the same time, strong checks and balances were put in place to prevent an authoritarian rule by this branch of government.

Once the Constitution was ratified two years later, the first election was held, and George Washington became the first president in 1789.

In 1800, the national government moved to Washington, D.C., where the White House (the president's residence) was built.

Voting and the Electoral College: How a President is Elected

Months before an election, candidates are chosen by political parties in the United States who will run for office. The two main parties in our nation are the Republican and Democratic parties. The presidential election is held on the first Tuesday of November every four years.

But the candidate is not elected by the popular vote of the people directly. Instead, each state has a certain number of presidential electors (equal to the number of senators and representatives the state has in Congress) who are the ones who vote for the president. If the majority of the voters in a state vote for a presidential candidate, then all of the electors for that state vote for the president (which is one reason that presidential candidates often concentrate their campaigns in the states with the greatest number of electors).

To win, the president must gain at least 270 of the 538 possible electoral votes. This group of electors is known as the Electoral College. The Electors gather in the state capital of the state they represent after the votes for a state are counted, and cast their votes for the candidate who won the popular vote in their state.

In the case of a tie in the Electoral College, with no candidate winning a majority, then the decision on who wins the election is made by the House of Representatives. Each state and the District of Columbia are given one vote each in this electoral process.

Once elected, the new president begins his term on January 20 of the year following the election in November. The president is inaugurated and sworn in on the steps of the United States Capitol building by the chief justice of the Supreme Court.

Who Can Be President?

According to the Constitution, the president of the United States must be born a citizen, and must have lived in the United States for at least fourteen years. He or she must also be at least 35 years old by the time his or her duties are assumed. Normally the political parties choose the candidate that they believe will be best qualified to run our country, and the president is elected on the first Tuesday in November of an election year.

The president enjoys a salary of $200,000 a year and is allowed $50,000 extra for expenses. He also has a $100,000 dollar allowance for travel and entertaining. He has a private jet (Air Force One) and he and his family are guarded carefully by special agents of the Secret Service.

The Role of the President

The president has many important roles in the government of one of the largest and most powerful nations in the world. The Constitution states that the role of the president is to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed" (which is why this branch of government is known as the executive branch).

The President has certain powers that include proposing legislation to Congress in his annual address to the nation and during special addresses to Congress. He can also call special sessions of Congress if Congress adjourns before voting on important legislation that he proposes, and can veto bills that Congress passes (but Congress can overrule his veto with a 2/3 vote).

The president's job also includes appointing people to federal positions, including his cabinet members, the heads of federal departments, and justices of the Supreme Court. These appointees must be confirmed by the Senate. He appoints ambassadors, ministers and consuls to foreign countries, and represents our country in relationships with other nations. And along with the State Department, the president is responsible for the welfare of Americans abroad in other countries, and of foreign nationals in the United States.

The President is also Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces (but he can't declare war, only Congress can do that). As commander-in-chief he can call into federal service the state units of the National Guard, and during times of war or emergencies that affect our nation, Congress can grant the president increased powers to help protect national security. He can make treaties with other countries (that the Senate must ratify with a 2/3 vote). And only the president can authorize the use of nuclear weapons.

The president can grant a full or conditional pardon to a person who has broken a federal law, and the president has the power to shorten prison terms and reduce fines for people convicted of federal crimes.

The Cabinet and Staff: Working With the President to Lead

Because running the nation is a complex job, the president has a large staff to help him. He is responsible for appointing members of his cabinet. These cabinet members are the heads of major federal departments consisting of thousands of employees whose role is to enforce and administer the laws of our nation. The cabinet members include the secretaries of:

Agriculture: This department supervises the agricultural production and sales in our country, including helping to maintain fair prices. This department also issues food stamps and manages food assistance programs for the poor and maintains federal programs that teach about good nutrition. It also administers federal conservation programs to protect the nation's natural resources and forests. This department also maintains programs to inspect produce, and to fund agricultural research.

Commerce: This department promotes the economic growth of the nation in international trade, and oversees programs to prevent unfair foreign trade competition. It also oversees the Patent and Trademark offices, and helps to promote technological research.

Defense: This department is quartered in the Pentagon, and is involved in maintaining national security through the military forces of our country, both active and reserves. This department also oversees national security and intelligence, including the National Security Agency (NSA).

Education: This department administers the educational programs and federal aid for education programs for the nation. This includes educational programs for those with disabilities, such as blindness or hearing loss.

Energy: This department helps with solving the problems of providing energy for a highly industrialized nation. This includes research and developing technology related to energy; promoting energy conservation, and regulating the production and pricing of oil.

Health and Human Services: This department oversees such programs as the Social Security Administration, and Medicare. Medicaid helps states with paying medical costs for the indigent, and the department also conducts research through the National Institute of Health. It also works to prevent outbreaks of communicable diseases and administers Aid to Families with Dependent Children.

Housing and Urban Development: This department oversees programs to provide affordable housing nationwide and to prevent discriminatory practices against purchasers. It also administers rent- subsidy programs for those who can't afford housing.

Interior: This department is responsible for the conservation of federal public lands and natural resources through bureaus such as the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. It also oversees Native American reservations, and mining in the United States.

Justice: This department is overseen by the attorney general. It represents the United States government in courts of law, and gives legal advice when asked to the president and his cabinet members. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is its principle law enforcement body, and through the US immigration and Naturalization Service administers US immigration laws. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) helps to enforce laws to prevent the importation of narcotics into our country.

Labor: This department helps to improve conditions for workers in the United States. It ensures that the over 130 federal labor laws are enforced, and that working conditions are safe (through agencies such as OSHA). It also establishes minimum hourly wages and overtime pay standards, provides for worker's compensation programs, and prevents discrimination in the workplace.

State: This department advises the president on foreign policy. This includes the recognition of new foreign countries, and maintaining political relations with other nations. It also represents the U.S. in the United Nations and other international organizations, and supervises embassies overseas.

Transportation: This department administers laws relating to national transportation policy, that include interstate highway planning and construction (Federal Highway Administration), railroads, aviation (Federal Aviation Administration), urban mass transit, and the safety of waterways and ports.

Treasury: This department oversees the monetary policies of our nation, including taxes (the Internal Revenue Service) and manufacturing currency. This department also reports to the president and Congress on the financial condition of the national economy. It also operates the Secret Service which protects the president, vice president and visiting heads of state.

Veteran Affairs: This department ensures that veterans who are eligible receive the benefits and services which they have earned. This includes medical care (V.A. hospitals and clinics) and nursing home care, as well as housing assistance and educational grants.

Famous Presidents

There have been many famous presidents who changed the course of our nation's history, including:

• George Washington, who was our first president (he also led the colonial army during the Revolution).
• Thomas Jefferson, our third president, founded Monticello and is best known for the Louisiana Purchase which effectively doubled the size of the United States.
• Abraham Lincoln was elected our sixteenth president, and led the nation during the Civil War years. His emancipation proclamation in 1863 abolished slavery in all states that were not under union control.
• Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president is famous for starting the Panama Canal and winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
• President Woodrow Wilson was our 28th president and is known for being a progressive leader who led American during its entrance into World War I. He also helped to pass the Federal Reserve Act.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt became the 32nd president during the height of the Great Depression, and instituted a series of economic reforms known as the New Deal to help bring the nation out of its economic crisis. He also led the nation when it entered World War II.
• John F. Kennedy became the 35th president, and was famous as a war hero, as an author (Profiles in Courage), for his progressive economic and civil rights policies, and for his action during the Cuban Missile Crisis.