Presidential Power Research Paper

John Adams said, “Power naturally grows. Why? Because human passions are insatiable.” This is especially true for someone with as much power and authority as the President of our nation. That is why Presidential power has expanded and continues to expand today. Throughout the history of the United States, Presidents have taken more and more power. Specifically from Congress and the states. Once power is in the President’s hands, it is hard to take it away. Scholars trace the rise of the powerful presidency we see today back to Andrew Jackson. He exercised the power of the veto differently than any President had before him. He did not use the veto in order to revise and aid Congress in the law making process. He used the power to completely shut down a bill because of bad policy or unconstitutionality. The veto power that

Media has been around beginning with newspapers since the Constitutional Convention and has grown and changed throughout the years along with the presidency. Presidents have used media outlets to gain popularity among people and have consequently gained power in that way. The people see the President as their biggest government figure and want him to solve the problems of the nation. Thus, part of the President’s expansion of power comes from people through the media. President Franklin Roosevelt was one of the first Presidents to gain Presidential popularity though radio media. During the Great Depression, he held “fireside chats” broadcasted to the people across the nation. The people during that time trusted him and looked to him to solve their crisis. Media played a large role in the recent election. Both candidates in the election reached out to voters through Twitter and other outlets. They gained popularity and power through social media because they could get people to think a certain way about one candidate and reach a large