CENTENNIAL HONORS COLLEGE
Western Illinois University
Undergraduate Research Day 2016
PodiumPresentation
ThePresident’sPowersandCheck’sThatMakeHimLessPowerful
QuincyJones
FacultyMentor:JonathanDay
PoliticalScience
Thepresidentissupremeruleroftheexecutivebranch,ArticleIIoftheUnitedStatesConstitutiongives
thepresidentcertainpowers.Thosepowerscandeterminethewayourcountryisgoingtoberan.The
presidenthasasignificantamountofinfluence,butislimitedbychecksandseparationofpower.The
governmentisbrokendownintothreebranches,eachbranchhasacertainamountofpowercreatinga
separationofpower.Tokeepawatchfuleyeoneachbranchchecksandbalancesareputintoplaceto
makesurenoonebranchabusestherepower.Examiningthepowersofthepresidentwewilldiscover
thechecksthatareputintoplacetokeepthepresidentfromreceivingabsolutepowerandauthority.