Chapter 6
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Qualifications and Terms of the Presidency
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Powers and Roles of the President
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Executive Departments and the Cabinet
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Qualifications to be President
 At least 35 years old
 A native born citizen
 Have lived in the US for at least 14 years
Terms and Conditions of the Presidency
 The U.S. Constitution states that the President will serve a 4 year
term. Originally, the Constitution did not limit the number of
terms a President can serve. No President served more than two
until Franklin D. Roosevelt and he was elected to 4 terms. Today,
the 22 Amendment limits the number of terms to two. (10 year
total)
 The President is paid a salary of $450,000 a year plus a nontaxable
allowance of $50,000.
 Common Traits
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All have been male
All but one have been Caucasian (white)
Most have been wealthy
Many have been lawyers before their presidency
Most have had prior political experience at state or national level
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The Vice President
 Qualifications to be Vice President
 SEE THE PRESIDENT’S QUALIFICATIONS
 Terms and Conditions
 The Vice President serves a four year term,
just like the President.
 The most important duty a Vice President
is to serve as President in his absence. The
Vice President also serves as the head of
the SENATE. He can’t take part in debates
and may only vote in the case of a tie.
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The President has died 8 times while in office and
one resigned. The Vice President has been sworn
in as President 9 times.
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Presidential Succession
 The _25th_ Amendment says that if the President
dies or leaves office that the new President must
nominate a new Vice President. That nomination
must be approved with a majority in both houses.
 The _20th_ Amendment gives Congress the power
to set up _Presidential Line of Succession__.
Succession is as follows:
 __Vice President_________
 __Speaker of the House___
 __ President Pro Tempore
 __ Department heads per the creation of
the Executive Department___
The Five Main Roles of the President + 1
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Chief Policy Maker/Legislator
Commander in Chief
Chief Diplomat
Chief Executive Officer
Chief of State
Chief of Really Cool Powers
1. Chief Policy Maker/Legislator
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(a) Every year the President
delivers ____A State of the
Union Address___ in late
January. In this speech the
President suggests new laws
he wants put into effect. This
speech deals with the
country’s most pressing
concerns.
(b) The President also sends a
budget to Congress
suggesting how they should
spend money on programs on
the coming __Fiscal Year___.
The President also influences
laws he wants by using the
__VETO____ power. It then
takes Congress a 2/3 vote to
overturn this action. The
president also influences what
bills Congress introduces.
2. Commander in Chief
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a. The President is in
charge of U.S. troops
during war or peacetime.
The President is in
constant contact with U.S.
military leaders and has
the final say in planning
how a war is to be fought.
b. Only Congress can
declare war, but the
President can send troops
abroad if U.S. interests are
threatened. In 1973,
Congress passed the
_WAR POWERS ACT_,
which only allowed the
President to do this for 6090 days.
3. Chief Diplomat
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a.) __Foreign Policy_____ is the
government’s plan for interacting
with other countries. The
President tries to secure friendly
relations with foreign countries
while preserving national security.
b.) The President appoints
__DIPLOMATS__ to represent the
U.S. in other countries.
c.) The President also meets with
other foreign leaders. The
interaction with other countries is
known as
_DIPLOMACY_____________.
d.) The U.S. also makes written
agreements with other countries
called __TREATIES_____. Many
officials work on these agreements
but the President has the final
responsibility. The Senate must
approve the treaty with a __2/3__
vote, but the President makes sure
it is carried out.
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4) Chief Executive Officer – Running the 15
Executive Departments – See Below
5) Chief of State – Social type issues dealing
with events inside the US – Ex. Meets the Super
Bowl Champs Pittsburgh Steelers or give
Congressional Medal of Honor for those who
demonstrate “exemplary values of courage,
sacrifice, selfless service and patriotism.”
6) Chief of Really Cool Powers
a.)____Appoints Supreme Court Justices, and
other federal judges___
b.) ___REPRIEVE_____________________postpones the carrying out of a person’s
sentence.
c.)____PARDON____- forgives a person of his
or her crime and eliminates the punishment.
d.) ___COMMUTATION_______- the power to
reduce a person’s sentence.
The president’s right hand man is the _Chief of Staff__ He/She is at the president’s side more than any person. Job
includes arranging meetings, press conferences, etc.
The President has a group of close advisers and aides known as
the __Cabinet__. The President needs many advisers and
specialists to help formulate decisions. The Executive Depts.
makes up this group.
• Under George Washington there were __5__
departments in the cabinet, today there are _15__. The
President appoints cabinet heads, but Senate must
approve.
• Usually the title given to a head of a department is
__SECRETARY__, but the Department of Justice is
headed by the _ATTORNEY GENERAL__.
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Department of State
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Foreign policy is the special responsibility of the
Department of State. Today the Secretary of State is
___Hillary Clinton_______________.
Ambassadors_also serve in this department. They are
highest-ranking U.S. officials in foreign countries.
They work in an __EMBASSY_____ in a foreign land.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGUI7kDLsQo
CONSULS_ represents U.S. commercial interests in
other countries. A consulate is their office, and they
can be found in most large foreign cities.
The Dept. of State also must keep track of people
traveling to and from the United States. It does this by
issuing __VISAS______ and ____PASSPORTS____.
Visas allow foreigners to come to the U.S. Passports
allow Americans to travel to other countries.
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Department of Defense
 The Department of Defense is in charge of
the nation’s armies. Aside from war, it’s also
responsible for organizing relief efforts.
 The Secretary of Defense is always a
__CIVILIAN__. This ensures nonmilitary
control of the armed forces. The Secretary
has high-ranking military officials to help
and these assistants are known as the
___JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF___. This
group advises the President on military
affairs.
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Other Departments
 Department of Homeland Security _ was
established after the terrorist attacks in
2001. Its primary job is to prevent further
terrorist attacks.
 Department of the Treasury__ promotes
economic stability in the U.S. and the rest
of the world. PRINT MONEY AND
COLLECT TAXES
 Department of Justice__ enforces laws in
the United States. TOP COP AND
LAWYER FOR THE U.S.
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e.)Independent Agencies and Regulatory
Commissions – There are certain jobs that the 15
Departments do not do or that need to be outside
of these departments’ power so we have these
There are independent agencies that specialize in
certain aspects of the government. Ex.__NASA –space
exploration, CIA – Central Intelligence Agency.
 _REGULATORY COMMISSIONS____ are types of
agencies that have the power to bring violators to court.
These are special in that they can bring violators to court
and/or pay fines.
 All the employees of these agencies compose the federal
__BUREAUCRACY__. Almost 3 million people work in
the bureaucracy.
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f.) EXECUTIVE PRIVILAGE - The Power of the
President to withhold information from Congress
for the purpose of securing National Security