Imperial Presidency Summary

The United States of America was founded on a belief in the rights of the people. In his book, The Imperial Presidency, Arthur Schlesinger analyzes the rise of the presidency as the head of our nation along with the belief of the presidency becoming too powerful. A concentration of power in one branch of government, he argued, threatens the whole political structure the country currently functions on. The dominance of one person overpowering others could easily be deemed an issue of national security, because it threatens the core of democracy. Government is the institution of public policy, therefore if the government upholds an imperialistic ruler, what will become of America?
Schlesinger wrote The Imperial Presidency during one of the

worst economic and political times in the nation’s history. The GOP’s political espionage and the beginning of the downfall of Richard Nixon, the catastrophic results of foreign policy such as the Vietnam War, and the oil shortages made Gerald Ford correct when he said “the state of the union is not good”. Schlesinger uses President Washington as a prototype for an ideal president, being the first whose job performance dictated the future of a nation. Him and the other early presidents were able to abide by the system of checks and balances in a reasonable manner, rarely going outside of the Constitution. Several iconic presidents such as Abraham Lincoln disregarded Congress completely during the Civil War. The proclamation of martial law, enlargement of the military, unauthorized blockade by the navy, and several other offenses were all conducted under his rule without a formal declaration of war from Congress. As the country grew, so did the might of the Oval Office. President Nixon exhibited no less than executive privilege during the Watergate scandal. The abuse of power did not go unnoticed by Congress, leading to The United States vs. Richard Nixon and his ultimate resignation before impeachment.
Congress was not always being pushed around by the president.

War-making powers were given to Congress to prevent a single person from being able to declare war. The president needed continuous approval from Congress before doing anything regarding foreign policy. Escaping from the rigid monarchy of George III ensured that the settlers would avoid giving one entity the power to make such influential decisions. However, presidents increasingly started and carried out unauthorized wars, such as President Polk and Mexico. This “emergency prerogative” was and continues to be abused to it’s fullest extent. It allows the president to ignore the Constitution by declaring a state of emergency. Granted, many of these decisions were very crucial to national safety and there are times where presidents have used the prerogative to push their own objectives forward without having to explain themselves. As a result, the military expenses by presidential action have consumed more than half of the budget. Schlesinger has written that even the CIA is not under the control of Congress, “fewer than a dozen members of Congress have any idea how much money the CIA spends each year, and probably none of them has much of an idea what the agency actually does with that money” said Representative Findley in 1973. This lack of regulation from Congress shows that it is not only the fault of the president for their abuses of power, it is also the responsibility of Congress to enforce their own rules

rigidly.
The nation’s president must have the ability to make hard decisions. As a representative democracy, the president is the representative of the majority. Their purpose should be one of service to the country and its citizens, as well as upholding the purpose of government. Forming a more perfect union, establishing justice, providing common defense, and securing individual freedoms are all main objectives that the elected officials must be held to, regardless of situation. The president, although powerful, should not have unlimited right and jurisdiction, but should be held to the standards put in place by the founding fathers. America was not meant to be an autocracy. Erasing the voice of the individual threatens the foundation of democracy: rule by the people. One person is not a representative for all people. The fight for freedom will never be easy, but it will always be worth it.