
Who is the legal president of the united states of america
The power of the president has increased considerably since its creation, as has the power of the federal government as a whole. [10] While presidential power has declined and sunk over time, the presidency has played an increasingly important role in American political life since the early 20th century, with notable expansion during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. In modern times, the president is also considered one of the most powerful political figures in the world as the leader of the world`s only remaining superpower. [11] [12] [13] [14] As the leader of the nation with the largest economy in terms of nominal GDP, the president has significant domestic and international hard and soft power. The amount of military detail the president personally handled in wartime varied widely. [92] George Washington, the first president of the United States, established military subordination to civilian authority. In 1794, Washington used its constitutional powers to assemble 12,000 militias to quell the Whiskey Rebellion — a conflict in western Pennsylvania involving armed farmers and distillers who refused to pay an excise tax on spirits. According to historian Joseph Ellis, this was “the first and only time a sitting U.S.
president led troops into the field,” although James Madison briefly took control of the artillery units defending Washington, D.C. during the War of 1812. [93] Abraham Lincoln was deeply involved in global strategy and day-to-day operations during the American Civil War of 1861-1865; Historians have credited Lincoln with his strategic acumen and ability to command commanders such as Ulysses S. Subsidy to be selected and encouraged, highly praised. [94] The current operational command of the armed forces is delegated to the Ministry of Defence and is normally exercised by the Minister of Defence. The Joint Chiefs of Staff and Combatant Commands are supporting the operation under the President`s approved Unified Command Plan (UCP). [95] [96] [97] A number of presidents lived many years after leaving office, and some of them personally oversaw the construction and opening of their own presidential libraries. Some have even made arrangements for their own funerals on site.
Several presidential libraries contain the president`s graves they document, including the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, the Museum and Boyhood Home in Abilene, Kansas, the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California, and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. These graves are open to the public. As the nation`s first president, George Washington set many standards that would define the office. [22] [23] His decision to retire after two terms helped allay fears that the nation would turn into a monarchy,[24] and set a precedent that would not be broken until 1940 and eventually made permanent by the Twenty-Second Amendment. By the end of his presidency, political parties had emerged,[25] with John Adams defeating Thomas Jefferson in 1796, the first truly contested presidential election. After Jefferson defeated Adams in 1800, he and fellow countrymen James Madison and James Monroe served two terms each, ultimately dominating the nation`s politics during the era of good feelings until Adams` son, John Quincy Adams, won the election in 1824 after the Democratic-Republican Party split. The president also plays a leading role in federal legislation and domestic policy. As part of the system of checks and balances, Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution gives the President the power to sign or veto federal laws. Since modern presidents are also generally regarded as the leaders of their political parties, important policy-making is decisively shaped by the outcome of presidential elections, with presidents taking an active role in promoting their political priorities to members of Congress, who are often dependent on elections.
[15] In recent decades, presidents have also increasingly relied on executive orders, agency regulations, and judicial appointments to shape domestic policy. In 1996, Congress attempted to strengthen the president`s veto power with the Line Item Veto Act. The legislature authorized the president to sign any spending bill while eliminating certain items of spending from the law, particularly new spending, discretionary spending, or new limited tax benefits. Congress could then come back to this particular point.