The great depression changed the country to its very core. The extreme amount of economic and physical hardships called for drastic change in how the government's power was distributed. Following the creation and execution of the New Deal, the power of the president was believed to have increased. The people’s calls for direct and hasty action were granted with FDR’s plans, and as the country became more filled with people and regulations, quick and hasty could not be accomplished through congress. But congress was still squarely the most powerful. And this is what the founding fathers wanted. The branch with the most connection to it’s constituents, should have the most power. But things move slowly in congress, so many called for more direct …show more content…
action, and out of that increased power of the presidency grew. And though this perceived shift in power happened, the legislative branch was still on top, just like the founding fathers wanted. Today, the President can operate the most quickly. He can pardon, send troops to foreign lands, negotiate, and many other things with the single stroke of pen or phonecall. But congress is much more powerful, bogged down with committees and voting regulations. Congress is a very powerful lumbering giant, an extremely slow one at that. The founding fathers invested many powers in the legislative branch.
Chief among them being the ability to make laws. And they are the only ones that can do this. Sure, a president could work with a senator and preach his support for a bill and help it become law, but it still has to pass through the many committees and voting processes in both houses of congress. This gives congress the inherent ability to control the regulations that define the very fabric of society and the economy. They can control taxes (though a tax bill can originate only in the House of Representatives), regulate commerce, and can create federal law that governs the entire country. All these powers fall under this one power, and congress has many more. The ability to ratify treaties, declare war, create committees, impeach, and other enumerable powers are also relegated to Congress, cloaking it in immense power. And though the founding fathers wanted this, some feared it, such as James Madison, who called it an “impetuous vortex” in the Federalist Papers. This fear likely caused the reason for the branch to become divided into multiple houses in the Great Compromise, and granting the President the ability to veto (though also giving congress the ability to override said veto). Congress gave the most power to the branch that would take the most time to use said …show more content…
powers. And Congress has only gotten slower as the country as developed.
More people has created more government, more rules and regulations to bog down the execution of Congress’s enumerated powers. But it has not lost any powers, and other branches have not explicitly gained enough power to de-throne congress as the most powerful branch of government. FDR’s execution of the New Deal brought with it the modern president. His ability to execute his powers quickly and effectively brought approval ratings up, and congress’s inability to move quickly made them in seem like an ineffective powerless body of government, though quite opposite was
true. And during FDR’s reign as president and in the following decades, there were moments where congress did seem subservient to the executive branch. FDR vetoed a stunning 635 bills during his tenure as president, with less than 2% of the vetoes being overridden by congress. Moments like these are where the idea that the scale has been tipped towards the executive but it has not. The president’s ability to veto is one of his most powerful abilities, but if there is any way that veto could be overridden by congress, most presidents would not use it in fear of setting a bad precedent. An effective and united congress is an extremely powerful body. Congress’s ability to impeach as also been seen to put presidents in check before. The threat of an impeachment by congress on a president alone is sometimes enough to cause the resignation of a president. Most famously, when President Nixon resigned in 1974 under the threat of impeachment. Presidents can even survive the lengthy and harmful political process of an impeachment, but the political wounds one leave are deep. The impeachment of President Clinton in 1998 ended with him surviving the impeachment, but his career was irrevocably hurt. Impeachment is another example of congress’s extreme power. In the decades following the New Deal, congress has gotten slower and slower, especially recently, with party politics being so divisive. Congress’s ability to carry out its powerful abilities has been slowed, but it’s abilities have not been weakened by any stretch of the imagination. Congress is as powerful as ever, just as the founding fathers wanted, but the political climate of today and the increased bureaucracy following the New Deal have stifled its efficiency.
In 1929, the stock market crashed, bringing great ruin to our country. The result, the Great Depression, was a time of hardship for everyone around the world. The economy in the US was lower than ever and people were suffering immensely. During these trying times, two presidents served- Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (F.D.R.) Both had different views on how the depression should be handled, with Hoover believing that the people could solve the issue themselves with no government involvement, and with F.D.R. believing that the government should work for their people in such difficult times.
The Great Depression was one of the greatest challenges that the United States faced during the twentieth century. It sidelined not only the economy of America, but also that of the entire world. The Depression was unlike anything that had been seen before. It was more prolonged and influential than any economic downturn in the history of the United States. The Depression struck fear in the government and the American people because it was so different. Calvin Coolidge even said, "In other periods of depression, it has always been possible to see some things which were solid and upon which you could base hope, but as I look about, I now see nothing to give ground to hope—nothing of man." People were scared and did not know what to do to address the looming economic crash. As a result of the Depression’s seriousness and severity, it took unconventional methods to fix the economy and get it going again. Franklin D. Roosevelt and his administration had to think outside the box to fix the economy. The administration changed the role of the government in the lives of the people, the economy, and the world. As a result of the abnormal nature of the Depression, the FDR administration had to experiment with different programs and approaches to the issue, as stated by William Lloyd Garrison when he describes the new deal as both assisting and slowing the recovery. Some of the programs, such as the FDIC and works programs, were successful; however, others like the NIRA did little to address the economic issue. Additionally, the FDR administration also created a role for the federal government in the everyday lives of the American people by providing jobs through the works program and establishing the precedent of Social Security...
Franklin D. Roosevelt once asserted “I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people,” in belief for a change, for a better nation, and for guidance to those who have lost all faith in humanity. During the Great Depression, the United States faced many different scenarios in which it caused people to doubt and question the “American Dream.” The Great Depression began in 1929 and ended in 1939. In these ten years, people went through unemployment, poverty, banks failed and people lost hope. President Herbert Hoover thought it wasn’t his responsibility to try and fix such issues in the nation.
The United States government is based around our Constitution. One of the most important pieces to U.S. Constitution is what lies in Article. I. Section. 8. Here is a list of powers granted to congress through the Constitution, known as the Enumerated Powers or Granted Powers, stating what congress can enforce on the nation as a whole. Examples of these powers include, the ability to lay and collect taxes, to pay debts, provide common defense/ declare war, provide for the general welfare, and the power to regulate commerce. Valuable topics to understand when reviewing the Enumerated Powers that are granted to the United States Congress are how federalism and Federalists are tied into congress 's constitutional powers and the meaning and
This shift in power resulted in presidents being able to dictate, with the threat of a veto, the way Congress writes laws. This set a precedent for future presidents to push legislation such as "The New Deal", "The Fair Deal", and "a Great Society" all of which are presidential proposals.
The Senate has the power to approve treaties proposed by the president as well as confirming the president's choice for judges, cabinet members and other officials.(Burns, 308) It also has the power to perform hearings, after the House has voted to impeach a president or federal judge. The House of Representatives has the authority to propose taxes, but the Senate must approve the bill first. In the House of Representative, the Speaker has a lot more say in how things are run than Senate leaders, who have to rely on persuasion to manage business.(Burns, 306) The House members form committees and subcommittees to debate issues. "Congress tends to have more power in domestic than foreign affairs."
The Great Depression was the worst period in the history of America’s economy. There is no way to overstate how tough this time was for the average worker and there was a feeling of desperation that hung over the entire country. Current political wisdom leading up to the Great Depression had been that the federal government does not get involved in business or the economy under any circumstances. Three Presidents in a row; Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover, all were cut from the same cloth of enacting pro-business policies to generate a powerful economy. Because the economy was doing so well during the “Roaring 20s”, there wasn’t much of a dispute
Congress has helped develop the Presidency as we know it today. This is because Congress argues over proposals and legislation proposed by the President. They are a major determent in whether bills turn into laws. But it’s not easy. One reason for this is because there are many powerful groups out there who argue about what should be discussed such as air pollution with the EPA or jobs.
... in office and how the congress will act toward the President; whether he be a President that demands respect or one who forfeits it and whether the Congress gives in to the demands of the Executive or if the Congress comes down on t he Executive like a hammer on a nail. This can be accomplished by viewing the circumstances in which a President takes office, the manner in which he carries himself during his term, and the way in which the President leaves as Commander in Chief. Conclusion: The President has neither gained nor lost power. There exists the same balance between Executive and Congress as there was when Washington was sworn in as America's first President. The only difference between then and now, is the fact that today we must wade through the layers of insignificance and precedents that history has forged against us, the political thinker and historian.
Congress is split into two large bicameral legislatures, the house of representatives and the senate. The Constitution grants Congress the sole authority to enact legislation and declare war, the right to confirm or reject many Presidential appointments, and substantial investigative powers which shows how they have too much power because even though they are split into two separate entities, they can share and overtake other parts of the government and basically do whatever they want from making laws to declaring war.
The United States Congress is the legislative branch of our government made up by the Senate and the House of Representatives. Our Congress, just as all branches of our government, derives its power from the US Constitution, specifically Article 1 section 8 which outlines the specific enumerated powers of Congress. This Article also outlines the implied powers of Congress. These implied powers include all things which are deemed necessary in order for Congress to carry out the jobs assigned to it by their enumerated powers.
...utive branch to gain an amount of power it had never had before. Despite this, Congress retains the benefits of that original constitutional favor and the battle for supremacy between the legislative and the executive branches has become a close one. The legislative branch, however, has a stability of power stemming directly from the Constitution that allows it to remain steadily powerful regardless of circumstances. The executive branch is much more susceptible to the effects of the times and the nature of the people elected to the office. This stability of power makes Congress unquestionably the lastingly dominant branch of American government.
In conclusion, The Legislative Branch is the most powerful branch of the United States government not only because of the powers given to them by the Constitution, but also the implied powers that Congress has. There is also Congress’s ability to triumph over the Checks and balances that limits their power. The only thing truly holding The Legislative Branch back from gaining all the power, is the large amount of people involved in the process and their difference and ideologies, and that Congress is split into multiple houses, with public opinion and elections affecting half of the branch of government. Therefore, The Legislative Branch is the most powerful branch of the United States Government.
In response to the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt was ready for action unlike the previous President, Hubert Hoover. Hoover allowed the country to fall into a complete state of depression with his small concern of the major economic problems occurring. FDR began to show major and immediate improvements, with his outstanding actions during the First Hundred Days. He declared the bank holiday as well as setting up the New Deal policy. Hoover on the other hand; allowed the U.S. to slide right into the depression, giving Americans the power to blame him. Although he tried his best to improve the economy’s status during the depression and ‘pump the well’ for the economy, he eventually accepted that the Great Depression was inevitable.
The US government’s role in the Great Depression has been very controversy. Different hypothesizes argued differently on the causes of the Great depression and whether the New Deal introduced by the government and President Roosevelt helped United States got out of the depression. I would argue that even though not the only factor, the US government did lead the country into the Great Depression and the New Deal actually delayed the recovery process. I will discuss five different factors (stock market crash, bank failure, tariff and tax cut, consumer spending and agriculture) that are commonly accepted to cause the depression and how the government linked to them. Furthermore, I will try to show how the government prolonged the depression in the United States by introducing the New Deal.