Warm Up Activitiy
In your opinion, what characteristics make a
good president?
Presidency
Duties of the
President
The office of president
has been developing for
more than 200 years.
We will compare the
duties of our first president
to those of our current
president.
Washington vs. Obama
Comparing the Duties
Washington Commander and Chief:
oversee 15,000 militia
volunteers
Chief Diplomat: Foreign policy
decisions (?)
(?)
Obama Commander and Chief:
oversee a military divided into
4 branches, that has a 601
billion dollar defense budget
(2015).
Chief Diplomat: foreign policy
decisions and chief
spokesperson to the world.
(?)
Defense Department Budget since 2001
The Presidents’ Many Roles
The President is:
1. Chief of State:
head of the government
2. Chief Executive:
chief decision maker
3. Chief Administrator:
chief manager of the government
4. Chief Diplomat:
spokesperson to the world
5. Commander in Chief:
head of the armed forces
6. Chief Legislator:
shapes the congressional agenda
7. Party Chief:
leader of the party that controls the presidency
8. Chief Citizen:
person who represents all the people, moral leadership.
Presidential Qualifications
1. A natural born citizen
2. At least 35 years old
3. Resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years
Who was the youngest president to hold
office?
Presidential Term and
Salary
The president of the United States serves
a term of 4 years in office.
How many terms can a president serve?
2 terms
Name the president that served more
than 2 terms.
22nd Amendment
Reaction to FDR’s four terms in office and
concerns over too much executive power
led to the 22nd Amendment in 1951. (fear
of a king)
Salary and Compensation
The Constitution determines that presidents
should receive compensation.
Effective Jan. 1, 2001, the salary of the
president of the United States was increased to
$400,000 per year including a $50,000 expense
account. Any unused amount of the $50,000
expense account is returned to the Treasury
Presidential Succession
John F. Kennedy in
1963
25th Amendment
After the death of JFK in 1963, the
country realized the need for an
official order of succession. (vicepresident)
Congress ratified in 1967 the 25th
Amendment, which established the
order of succession to the
presidency.
Line of Succession
Vice- President
Speaker of the House
President Pro-tempore of the Senate
Secretary of State
Rest of the cabinet
25th Amendment
The 25th Amendment also states the
procedure for choosing a vice-president.
President nominates (picks) a vice
president.
Congress must confirm the nomination.
Is it possible to have a president and Vice
President not elected by the people?
Yes, Ford and Rockefeller.
How many presidents have died in office:
8 Presidents in all died while in office.
Died of natural causes while in office :
9th W. Harrison died after one month in office,
12th Taylor (1849-1850), 29th Harding(19211923), 32nd Franklin D.Roosevelt (1933-1945)
the only president elected to four terms.
Assassinated:
16th Lincoln (1861-1865), 20th Garfield
(3/1881-9/1881),25th McKinley (1897-1901),
and 35th Kennedy (1961-1963).
Electoral College
The Constitution provides for the election
of the president by the electoral college.
Why did our founding fathers choose not
to elect the president by direct popular
vote of the people?
lack of education
lack of knowledge about the candidates
rights of minorities could be compromised
by popular vote
Electoral College and the
Constitution
The Electoral College process is described
in Article II Section I:
Article. II.
Section. 1. The executive Power shall be vested
in a President of the United States of America.
He shall hold his Office during the Term of four
Years,and together with the Vice President,
chosen for the same Term, be elected,
as follows:
Electoral Map of the US
Electoral College: Step by
Step
Step 1: Electors are chosen at the state
level. (popular vote in primaries or
caucuses)
Step 2: Voters cast their ballots on
election day choosing between
candidates. (they are really choosing
groups of electors)
Step 3 : These electors are expected,
though not bound to cast their votes for
the majority candidate.
Step 4: Electors meet in the state
capitals on the Monday following the
second Wednesday in December to cast
their electoral votes.
Step 5: The votes are officially counted
in Wash. D. C. on January 6th. (270 out
of 538 to win)
Step 6: The winner is sworn in on
January 20th
Who swears in the president?
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Presidential Disability
What happens if a president becomes
seriously disabled while in office?
The vice president becomes acting
president under one of two conditions:
1. The president informs congress of
an inability to perform the office.
2. The vice president can take over if
the vice president and a majority of the
cabinet informs Congress that the
president is disabled.
Examples of Presidential
Disability
1. President Garfield
lingered between life and
death for 80 days after
he was shot in 1881.
2. A stroke disabled
President Wilson in 1919.
During his recovery Mrs.
Wilson often performed
his duties
How many years total
can a President serve?
10 years
The First Cabinet
Soon after
Washington’s
election Congress
created a:
Department of
State (Jefferson)
Department of
Treasury
(Hamilton)
Department of War
(Knox)
Selection of the Cabinet
Today the president appoints the
secretaries that head the 15 major
executive departments.
Each appointee must be approved by the
Senate.
12th Amendment
The twelfth amendment was added in
reaction to the election of 1800. The 12th
Amendment stated that electors must
cast separate ballots for president
and vice-president.
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