America’s Presidents
As we consider the histories of America’s 44 presidents, three facts stand out.
First, presidents get their power from a variety of sources, from provisions of the
Constitution to their administration of the executive branch of government. Sec-
ond, presidential power has increased over time, not because of changes in the
Constitution but because of America’s growth as a nation, its emergence as a domi-
nant actor in international politics, the expansion of the federal government, and
acts of legislation that gave new authority to the president. Third, there are sharp
limits to presidentia l power. Presidents a re of ten forced to compromise in the face
of public, congressional, or foreign opposition.
Early Years through World War I
Since the early years of the Republic, presidents’ actions have had profound conse-
quences for the nation. Presidents George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas
Jeff erson forged compromises on issues such as choosing a permanent location
for the nation’s capital, establishing the federal courts, and devising a system for
fi nancing the government.^1 Presidents Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren were
instrumental in forming the Democratic Party and its local party organizations.
Early presidents also made important foreign policy decisions. For example, the
Monroe Doctrine, issued by President James Monroe in 1823, stated that America
would remain neutral in wars involving European nations and that these nations
must cease attempts to colonize or occupy areas in North and South America.^2
Presidents John Tyler and James Polk oversaw the admission of the huge territory
of Texas into the Union following the Mexican-American War. Polk also negoti-
ated the Oregon Treaty with Britain, which led to acquisition of land that later
became Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of Montana and Wyoming.^3
Several presidents sought compromise on slavery prior to the Civil War and dur-
ing the war itself. President Millard Fillmore’s support helped to enact the Compro-
mise of 1850, which limited slavery in California, and Franklin Pierce supported
the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which regulated slavery in these territories. Abraham
Lincoln, who helped form the Republican Party in the 1850s, played a transforma-
tive role in setting policy as president during the Civil War. His orders raised
the huge Union Army, and as commander in chief he directed the conduct
of the bloody war that kept the southern states from seceding permanently.
Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves in
the South, and temporarily suspended the writ of habeas corpus, which allowed
the government to imprison people without fi ling charges against them.^4
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, presidents were instrumental in federal
responses to the nation’s rapid expansion and industrialization.^5 The country’s
growing size and economy generated confl ict over which services the federal gov-
ernment should provide to citizens and how much the government should regulate
individual and corporate behavior.^6 Various acts of legislation created new federal
agencies and, in doing so, also created new presidential powers and responsibilities.
For example, Republican president Theodore Roosevelt used the Sherman Antitrust
Act to break up the Northern Securities Company, a mammoth nationwide railroad
trust. He increased the power of the Interstate Commerce Commission to regu-
late businesses and expanded federal conservation programs. Democrat Woodrow
TRACE THE EVOLUTION
OF PRESIDENTIAL POWER
OVER TIMEGEORGE WASHINGTON REMAINS, FOR
many Americans, the presidential
ideal—a leader whose crucial
domestic and foreign policy
decisions shaped the growth of
America’s democracy.