Asked by jerry
What does the Constitution say about the President?
1. How is the President elected? Is this democratic?
2. What are the President’s powers?
3. What are formal and informal powers? And where do they originate?
4. Discuss the responsibilities as Commander in Chief.
5. How many generals have served as President?
6. Discuss the responsibilities as Chief Diplomat.
7. Why is the State of Union important? (acting as a Chief Agenda Setter)
8. Why did the Framers curtail the President’s powers?
#12: Presidential Powers 2
1. What are the Presidents informal (implied) powers? Inherent powers? These will run throughout
the video.
2. What locations has the President sent troops when he did not ask for a war declaration?
3. What is the War Powers Resolution?
4. What is the most important difference between a treaty and an executive agreement?
5. List the two Executive Agreements discussed in the video.
6. Which President issued the most executive orders?
#14: How Presidents Govern
1. Who is at the top of the executive pyramid?
2. Where are most policy decisions made?
3. Who makes up the White House Staff?
4. Which staff members do you believe are the most important?
5. What is the Executive Office of the President?
6. What positions within the EOP would you consider the most important?
7. What is the Cabinet?
8. What is the purpose of a government corporation?
9. What are the two most well-known government corporations?
10. What is the best-known independent agency? List some others.
11. What is the best-known regulatory commission? List some others.
12. What are the president’s three main strategies when it comes to leadership? Circle the most
important one.
13. What is the bully pulpit?
14. What does the Office of Management and Budget do?
15. List some of the most important Executive Orders?
16. Why do Presidents increasingly rely on administrative strategies?
17. Explain the historical argument for the Founders preferred having a weak executive branch.
18. Explain the argument for a stronger executive branch.
give a short 9th grader response
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Here are short, 9th‑grade level answers to each question.
Part 1 — What the Constitution says about the President
1. How is the President elected? Is this democratic?
- The President is chosen by the Electoral College (electors from each state who usually follow the popular vote in their state). It’s democratic but indirect — sometimes the Electoral College picks someone who lost the national popular vote.
2. What are the President’s powers?
- The Constitution gives powers like: commander in chief of the military, veto laws, appoint judges and ambassadors (with Senate approval), make treaties (with 2/3 Senate approval), grant pardons, call/meet with Congress, and “take care” laws are executed.
3. What are formal and informal powers? And where do they originate?
- Formal (expressed) powers: written in the Constitution (examples above).
- Informal (implied) powers: not written there but used in practice — e.g., executive orders, executive agreements, going public to persuade people.
- They come from the Constitution, laws Congress passes, historical practice, and the needs of the office.
4. Discuss the responsibilities as Commander in Chief.
- The President leads and directs the armed forces, chooses top military leaders, and makes key military decisions. Congress alone can declare war, but presidents often send forces without a formal declaration. The President must balance military action with civilian control and laws.
5. How many generals have served as President?
- About 10 presidents held the rank of general at some point (count can vary depending on how one counts temporary or “brevet” ranks). Examples: Washington, Jackson, Harrison, Taylor, Pierce, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, B. Harrison, Eisenhower.
6. Discuss the responsibilities as Chief Diplomat.
- The President directs U.S. foreign policy: meets foreign leaders, appoints ambassadors, negotiates treaties (need Senate approval) and executive agreements (don’t need Senate), and recognizes foreign governments.
7. Why is the State of the Union important? (acting as a Chief Agenda Setter)
- It’s the President’s yearly speech to Congress and the public to say what laws and policies the President wants. It sets the administration’s main priorities and helps shape Congress’s agenda.
8. Why did the Framers curtail the President’s powers?
- They feared a king or tyrant. To protect liberty they spread power between branches and added checks and balances so the President could not become too powerful.
Part 2 — Presidential Powers (continued)
1. What are the President’s informal (implied) powers? Inherent powers?
- Informal/implied powers: executive orders, executive agreements, signing statements, using the media to persuade, and bargaining with Congress.
- Inherent powers: powers claimed because the president is head of a sovereign nation (emergency actions, control of some immigration enforcement, quick military moves). These are based on practice and necessity rather than a specific clause.
2. What locations has the President sent troops when he did not ask for a war declaration?
- Examples: Korea (1950), Vietnam (early stages), Lebanon (1958), Dominican Republic (1965), Grenada (1983), Panama (1989), Somalia (1992), Kosovo (1999), Libya (2011), various strikes in Syria and elsewhere.
3. What is the War Powers Resolution?
- A 1973 law that says the President must notify Congress within 48 hours of sending troops and must withdraw them after 60 days (plus a 30‑day withdrawal period) unless Congress approves more time or declares war.
4. What is the most important difference between a treaty and an executive agreement?
- A treaty needs Senate approval (2/3 vote). An executive agreement is made by the President alone (or with other countries) and does not require Senate ratification.
5. List the two Executive Agreements discussed in the video.
- (Two famous examples:) The 1972 Shanghai Communiqué (Nixon’s opening to China) and the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA). If your video named different ones, use those instead.
6. Which President issued the most executive orders?
- Franklin D. Roosevelt issued the most executive orders (thousands during his long time in office).
Part 3 — How Presidents Govern
1. Who is at the top of the executive pyramid?
- The President.
2. Where are most policy decisions made?
- In the White House (including the Executive Office), federal agencies, and sometimes in meetings with the Cabinet and Congress.
3. Who makes up the White House Staff?
- The President’s closest aides: Chief of Staff, national security advisor, press secretary, speechwriters, senior advisors, and support staff.
4. Which staff members do you believe are the most important?
- The Chief of Staff (manages the White House) and the National Security Advisor (handles foreign/military issues) are usually the most important.
5. What is the Executive Office of the President (EOP)?
- A group of offices that help the President run the government (examples: OMB, NSC, CEA).
6. What positions within the EOP would you consider the most important?
- Chief of Staff, Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the National Security Advisor.
7. What is the Cabinet?
- The Cabinet is the group of department heads (Secretaries) who advise the President (Defense, State, Treasury, etc.).
8. What is the purpose of a government corporation?
- To provide services that act like a business but are run by the government when private business won’t or shouldn’t do it.
9. What are the two most well-known government corporations?
- The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and Amtrak.
10. What is the best-known independent agency? List some others.
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is well known. Others: CIA, NASA, Social Security Administration.
11. What is the best-known regulatory commission? List some others.
- The Federal Reserve (Fed) is very well known. Others: Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
12. What are the president’s three main strategies when it comes to leadership? Circle the most important one.
- Three main strategies: (a) Use administration/agencies to make policy (administrative strategy); (b) Bargain with Congress and politicians; (c) Go public and persuade the public (the “bully pulpit”).
- Most important (common pick): going public (the bully pulpit) is powerful because it shapes public opinion and pressures Congress.
13. What is the bully pulpit?
- The President’s power to speak directly to the people (through speeches, media) to influence opinion and push for laws.
14. What does the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) do?
- The OMB prepares the federal budget, reviews agency budgets and proposed rules, and helps coordinate the President’s policy priorities.
15. List some of the most important Executive Orders?
- Examples that mattered: FDR’s orders for New Deal programs and EO 9066 (Japanese internment), Truman’s EO 9981 (desegregated the military), and modern ones like immigration actions (e.g., DACA‑type orders/actions). (There are many—these are a few famous ones.)
16. Why do Presidents increasingly rely on administrative strategies?
- Because passing laws through Congress can be slow or blocked, and administrative actions let presidents act faster and shape how laws are carried out.
17. Explain the historical argument for the Founders preferred having a weak executive branch.
- The Founders feared kings and concentrated power. They wanted checks and balances so no single leader could become a tyrant.
18. Explain the argument for a stronger executive branch.
- A stronger executive can act quickly in crises, provide clear leadership, enforce laws better, and coordinate the government efficiently.
If you want, I can make this into a one‑page study sheet or flashcards for easier review.
Part 1 — What the Constitution says about the President
1. How is the President elected? Is this democratic?
- The President is chosen by the Electoral College (electors from each state who usually follow the popular vote in their state). It’s democratic but indirect — sometimes the Electoral College picks someone who lost the national popular vote.
2. What are the President’s powers?
- The Constitution gives powers like: commander in chief of the military, veto laws, appoint judges and ambassadors (with Senate approval), make treaties (with 2/3 Senate approval), grant pardons, call/meet with Congress, and “take care” laws are executed.
3. What are formal and informal powers? And where do they originate?
- Formal (expressed) powers: written in the Constitution (examples above).
- Informal (implied) powers: not written there but used in practice — e.g., executive orders, executive agreements, going public to persuade people.
- They come from the Constitution, laws Congress passes, historical practice, and the needs of the office.
4. Discuss the responsibilities as Commander in Chief.
- The President leads and directs the armed forces, chooses top military leaders, and makes key military decisions. Congress alone can declare war, but presidents often send forces without a formal declaration. The President must balance military action with civilian control and laws.
5. How many generals have served as President?
- About 10 presidents held the rank of general at some point (count can vary depending on how one counts temporary or “brevet” ranks). Examples: Washington, Jackson, Harrison, Taylor, Pierce, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, B. Harrison, Eisenhower.
6. Discuss the responsibilities as Chief Diplomat.
- The President directs U.S. foreign policy: meets foreign leaders, appoints ambassadors, negotiates treaties (need Senate approval) and executive agreements (don’t need Senate), and recognizes foreign governments.
7. Why is the State of the Union important? (acting as a Chief Agenda Setter)
- It’s the President’s yearly speech to Congress and the public to say what laws and policies the President wants. It sets the administration’s main priorities and helps shape Congress’s agenda.
8. Why did the Framers curtail the President’s powers?
- They feared a king or tyrant. To protect liberty they spread power between branches and added checks and balances so the President could not become too powerful.
Part 2 — Presidential Powers (continued)
1. What are the President’s informal (implied) powers? Inherent powers?
- Informal/implied powers: executive orders, executive agreements, signing statements, using the media to persuade, and bargaining with Congress.
- Inherent powers: powers claimed because the president is head of a sovereign nation (emergency actions, control of some immigration enforcement, quick military moves). These are based on practice and necessity rather than a specific clause.
2. What locations has the President sent troops when he did not ask for a war declaration?
- Examples: Korea (1950), Vietnam (early stages), Lebanon (1958), Dominican Republic (1965), Grenada (1983), Panama (1989), Somalia (1992), Kosovo (1999), Libya (2011), various strikes in Syria and elsewhere.
3. What is the War Powers Resolution?
- A 1973 law that says the President must notify Congress within 48 hours of sending troops and must withdraw them after 60 days (plus a 30‑day withdrawal period) unless Congress approves more time or declares war.
4. What is the most important difference between a treaty and an executive agreement?
- A treaty needs Senate approval (2/3 vote). An executive agreement is made by the President alone (or with other countries) and does not require Senate ratification.
5. List the two Executive Agreements discussed in the video.
- (Two famous examples:) The 1972 Shanghai Communiqué (Nixon’s opening to China) and the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA). If your video named different ones, use those instead.
6. Which President issued the most executive orders?
- Franklin D. Roosevelt issued the most executive orders (thousands during his long time in office).
Part 3 — How Presidents Govern
1. Who is at the top of the executive pyramid?
- The President.
2. Where are most policy decisions made?
- In the White House (including the Executive Office), federal agencies, and sometimes in meetings with the Cabinet and Congress.
3. Who makes up the White House Staff?
- The President’s closest aides: Chief of Staff, national security advisor, press secretary, speechwriters, senior advisors, and support staff.
4. Which staff members do you believe are the most important?
- The Chief of Staff (manages the White House) and the National Security Advisor (handles foreign/military issues) are usually the most important.
5. What is the Executive Office of the President (EOP)?
- A group of offices that help the President run the government (examples: OMB, NSC, CEA).
6. What positions within the EOP would you consider the most important?
- Chief of Staff, Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the National Security Advisor.
7. What is the Cabinet?
- The Cabinet is the group of department heads (Secretaries) who advise the President (Defense, State, Treasury, etc.).
8. What is the purpose of a government corporation?
- To provide services that act like a business but are run by the government when private business won’t or shouldn’t do it.
9. What are the two most well-known government corporations?
- The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and Amtrak.
10. What is the best-known independent agency? List some others.
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is well known. Others: CIA, NASA, Social Security Administration.
11. What is the best-known regulatory commission? List some others.
- The Federal Reserve (Fed) is very well known. Others: Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
12. What are the president’s three main strategies when it comes to leadership? Circle the most important one.
- Three main strategies: (a) Use administration/agencies to make policy (administrative strategy); (b) Bargain with Congress and politicians; (c) Go public and persuade the public (the “bully pulpit”).
- Most important (common pick): going public (the bully pulpit) is powerful because it shapes public opinion and pressures Congress.
13. What is the bully pulpit?
- The President’s power to speak directly to the people (through speeches, media) to influence opinion and push for laws.
14. What does the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) do?
- The OMB prepares the federal budget, reviews agency budgets and proposed rules, and helps coordinate the President’s policy priorities.
15. List some of the most important Executive Orders?
- Examples that mattered: FDR’s orders for New Deal programs and EO 9066 (Japanese internment), Truman’s EO 9981 (desegregated the military), and modern ones like immigration actions (e.g., DACA‑type orders/actions). (There are many—these are a few famous ones.)
16. Why do Presidents increasingly rely on administrative strategies?
- Because passing laws through Congress can be slow or blocked, and administrative actions let presidents act faster and shape how laws are carried out.
17. Explain the historical argument for the Founders preferred having a weak executive branch.
- The Founders feared kings and concentrated power. They wanted checks and balances so no single leader could become a tyrant.
18. Explain the argument for a stronger executive branch.
- A stronger executive can act quickly in crises, provide clear leadership, enforce laws better, and coordinate the government efficiently.
If you want, I can make this into a one‑page study sheet or flashcards for easier review.
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