Essay About Presidential Power

2. The Constitution says very little about presidential power. Why is this so? How has this helped or hurt presidents over the course of American history? Your answer should include some discussion of notable presidents who changed the office.
The United States Constitution says very little about presidential power due to the Founders’ conception of the Office. As the Founders of the Constitution thought that the office of the president should be much more limited than what we consider today to be modern presidency. However, the vague language found in the Constitution has allowed for a greater expansion in power of the president. These powers are established in Article II of the Constitution. It is this provision that makes the President commander-in-chief of the United States’ armed forces. However, the modern interpretation allows for presidents to commit to conflicts overseas, without declaring war. Presidents were also given the …show more content…
The first period was centered around national power and property rights. This was mainly due to the significant increase in growth and changes in population within the first 75 years of existence of the United States of America. This in turn caused and led to several changes being made to the Constitution, and therefore the law as well. As one of the main concerns during this point in time was voting, in regards to whether or not you had to have property in order to vote. The policy during this time can be seen especially in Chief Justice John Marshall’s views. Chief Justice John Marshall was a firm believer and follower of the principles that Alexander Hamilton created. This means that he advocated and made his decisions based upon creating a strong national government, creating an economic alliance between the national government and businesses in which industries were promoted, and finally the creation of a free market without restraints by the national