SIGNIFICANT PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATIONS OF THE 20 T H &21 S T

CENTURIES

The Modern Presidency

Expanding the Power of the Presidency

Lincoln

Lincoln warned the South in his Inaugural Address: "In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you.... You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to preserve, protect and defend it.“

Preserved the union & the idea of federalism

Expanding the Power of the Presidency

Theodore Roosevelt

He took the view that the President as a "steward of the people" should take whatever action necessary for the public good unless expressly forbidden by law or the Constitution." I did not usurp power," he wrote, "but I did greatly broaden the use of executive power.“

Roosevelt steered the United States more actively into world politics. He liked to quote a favorite proverb, "Speak softly and carry a big stick. . . . “

“trust buster”Conservationist

The Third Party Effect

The Third Party Effect: Election of 1912

Theodore Roosevelt returned to presidential politics in 1912. Unable to wrestle the Republican nomination from incumbent, William Taft, T.R. sought reelection as a third party candidate.

The progressives , known as the “Bull Moose” party, split the Republican vote, and Wilson won the election with only 42% of the popular vote.

Progressive Presidents

Wilson

Like Roosevelt before him, Woodrow Wilson regarded himself as the personal representative of the people. "No one but the President," he said, "seems to be expected ... to look out for the general interests of the country." He developed a program of progressive reform and asserted international leadership in building a new world order. In 1917 he proclaimed American entrance into World War I a crusade to make the world "safe for democracy."

Progressive Presidents: Wilson

He was nominated for President at the 1912 Democratic Convention and campaigned on a program called the New Freedom, which stressed individualism and states' rights. In the three-way election he received only 42 percent of the popular vote but an overwhelming electoral vote.

Wilson

Wilson maneuvered through Congress three major pieces of legislation. The first was a lower tariff, the Underwood Act; attached to the measure was a graduated Federal income tax. The passage of the Federal Reserve Act provided the Nation with the more elastic money supply it badly needed. In 1914 antitrust legislation established a Federal Trade Commission to prohibit unfair business practices.

Another burst of legislation followed in 1916. One new law prohibited child labor; another limited railroad workers to an eight-hour day. By virtue of this legislation and the slogan "he kept us out of war," Wilson narrowly won re-election.

Wilson

After the Germans signed the Armistice in November 1918, Wilson went to Paris to try to build an enduring peace. He later presented to the Senate the Versailles Treaty, containing the Covenant of the League of Nations, and asked, "Dare we reject it and break the heart of the world?"

But the election of 1918 had shifted the balance in Congress to the Republicans. By seven votes the Versailles Treaty failed in the Senate.

Progressive Presidents

FDR

Cooperative Federalism“Watershed” moment in American history:

his policies changed the relationship between individual Americans & the federal government

Greatly expanded the role & influence of the presidency

Pushed New Deal legislationFireside Chats Elected four times

Progressive Presidents

Importance of Presidential Image

Importance of Presidential Image

New Federalism: Devolution

The Election of 1992

Ross Perot

The Third Party Effect: 1992

At one point, Perot led the polls with 39% (versus 31% for Bush and 25% for Clinton). Just prior to the debates, Perot received 7–9% support in nationwide polls. It is likely that the debates played a significant role in his ultimate receipt of 19% of the popular vote. Although his answers during the debates were often general, many Democrats and Republicans conceded that Perot won at least the first debate.

Clinton: Third Party Effect & Bipartisan Reform

Electoral College & The Patriot Act

Election of 2000: Bush v.Gore

Election of 2000

Highlighted the shortfalls of the electoral college

This marked the fourth election in U.S. history in which the eventual winner failed to win a plurality of the popular vote. (other elections 1824, 1876, 1888).