The Power of the American Presidency, 1789-2000

In its more than 200-year history, the office of the President of the United States has gone through a variety of dramatic changes. Because the founding fathers left the privileges and responsibilities of the job constitutionally vague and ill-defined, each occupant of the office, from George Washington to Bill Clinton, has set the limits of presidential power as he has seen fit, based on the domestic and international circumstances of the day as well as on his own ambition and abilities. Organized chronologically, The Power of the American Presidency offers an overview of the evolution and elasticity of presidential power by providing case studies of each president's personal characteristics and the defining historical events of each administration.