Setting out to sell the unratified Constitution to a wary nation nearly 225 years ago, Alexander Hamilton argued that the executive of this newly designed government must possess that trait above all else. Confident that America's great resources eventually would prove the decisive factor in the war, they favored a concentration of force in the United Kingdom for a massive attack against western Europe at the earliest possible time. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/ASSOCIATED PRESS. June 20, 2020, 5 a.m. EDT. Every four years, political frenzy seizes the nation for months building up to the presidential election. Some, such as Connecticuts Roger Sherman, thought democracy was one short step from mob rule. It isn't really a college, and the electors aren't tenured professors. Would this executive department be occupied by one man or a council of three? Only after a fizzled attempt to run the country through disparate committees in individual states did the creators of the United States Constitution decide at a historic convention in 1787 that there needed to be a strong national government with a leader on top. But even after two centuries and dozens of men taking the office, the original title still remains the most potent one: Mr. President. (Image by Bettmann/Getty Images) The American entry into World War I was also simpler than the American entry into World War II. After graduating in 1930, he was a teacher for a few days. After much haggling with no precedent to work from, the idea of an electoral college was born, though that term wouldn't be used until the 20th century. ghyslyn But as etymologist Mark Forsyth reminds us in his TED Talk on the subject, titles and their meaning and uses are always changing. Milkis says that, when it was created in the late 1700s, the U.S. presidency was unlike any other position in world history. Knowing that he would lead the way, Pfiffner said, the Framers bestowed the presidency with more powers than they otherwise might have, including the power of the veto. According to The New York Times, the answer may surprise you. Politicians try to pick and use words to shape and control reality, but in fact, reality changes words far more than words can ever change reality, Forsyth says. It might surprise you to know that the position of "president" is an American invention, berthed during the debates over America's political future at the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention of 1787. On May 29, President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would withdraw from the World Health Organization. At 11.02 am on August 9 1945, America dropped the world's most powerful atomic bomb on Nagasaki. y they decided on a president, with his cabinet to advise and help him (together known as the executive branch), as well as the judicial and legislative branches with their own powers. Our Nation is then controlled by laws and the people that write and pass them - when the people them selves no longer control that process - we are no longer free. . should have as little to do as may be about the government, Sherman asserted. State legislatures would choose a certain number of electors proportional to the number of representatives that each state had. NEWS: Presidential Debates: History of Why We Have Them, "There was so much uncertainty about whether we would have a national character whom voters would know something about, and there was concern about what kind of influence the President would have in office," he added. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Would there be one chief executive or more than one? [T]he debate over whether or not to give the president a regal title represents an early consideration of constitutional intent, just as it also comprises the first dispute between the Senate and the House, Bartoloni-Tuazon writes in For Fear of an Elective King. But Wilson and others argued that this system would make the chief merely a tool of Congress, giving them too much power. Today, we take the presidency for granted. At that time, war, famine, and a poor economy in southeastern China caused many Chinese men to come to America. PHOTOS: Top One-Liners in Presidential Debate History. Despite any other squabbles, the beloved leader of the American Revolution would occupy the office they later decided to call president, a word rooted in the Latin praesidens (meaning to sit before) and first used in America at Harvard in 1640. The President can't sway either of the other two branches due to fact they are all independent of each other, however once parties were formed, it allowed the stronger party to do as it wished "right or wrong and or publicly popular or not", it quickly allowed a party to control the executive branch of the government and then by executive nomination and vote it can control the direction of the judicial branch. Heres what the science says, The ultimate action-packed science and technology magazine bursting with exciting information about the universe, Engaging articles, amazing illustrations & exclusive interviews, Get a 10 Amazon.co.uk voucher with you subscription, Issues delivered straight to your door or device. Even president Adams left Philadelphia in April of 1800 and moved into the White . This was called being on the gold standard. There are a handful of reasons why the framers opted for the Electoral College, from the purely logistical to the highly partisan. While some delegates feared creating a presidency that could become a fetus of monarchy, others called for an executive who could negotiate treaties and make appointments or command an army if the nation was threatened. Privacy Statement Whale sighting in Australia hints at 'extremely unusual' interspecies adoption, See the face of an 18th century 'vampire' buried in Connecticut, Does yoga really stimulate the vagus nerve? Answer Choices: A) to prevent the Soviets from gaining a military advantage. Why are presidents limited to only 2 terms? Now, this is all in response to the poisoning of a former Russian spy in the U.K. London says Russia is. The Manhattan Project, as the program to build atomic bombs was named, commanded a higher priority for materials and staff than any other program of the warnot because anyone thought the atomic . Many Filipinos felt betrayed by the U.S. government after the Spanish-American War because the Filipinos thought they would be granted independence and did not want their homeland annexed by the U.S. Their leader, Emilio Aguinaldo, ordered his troops to attack American troops in the Philippines. . At the same time, our country is more democratic and populist than it was in its early days. Congress is at a staggering 6% approval rating. Thirdly was bad attitude towards P. a group of baffled and confused men who finally settle on a solution more out of desperation than confidence.. So the debate began. Attendees of the original Convention might be surprised to see how powerful the office of the President has actually become. Copy. . . Some delegates to the Constitutional Convention suggested His Exalted Highness, with others chiming in with the more democratic His Elective Highness. Other suggestions included the formal Chief Magistrate and the lengthy His Highness the President of the United States of America, and Protector of Their Liberties. The debate went on for multiple weeks, according to historian Kathleen Bartoloni-Tuazon, because the House of Representatives worried that too grand a title might puff Washington up with power, while the Senate feared Washington would be derided by foreign powers if saddled with something as feeble as president (the title originally meant, simply, one who presides over a body of peoplesimilar to foreman). The Electoral College became part . The electors were created by the Constitution to do only one thing: elect the President and Vice President of the United States. Advertising Notice Boston University professor of Law Jay Wexler says that while the practice of holding onto ones title after leaving office isnt unconstitutional, it does create a permanent class of citizens who keep their titles of distinction forever and is therefore inconsistent with the spirit of the [constitutional] clause.. Terms of Use The controversy explored an important constitutional question: How much like a monarch should the head of a republic resemble, particularly in the United States, whose revolution aimed at weakening the executive?, The question of titles was a concern to the Founding Fathers even outside political office. But when one delegate left behind a page of handwritten notes on these secret deliberations, Washington sternly cautioned: Gentlemen . Many of the civilian casualties in the country are a direct result of then-President Obama relaxing the rules of engagement for airstrikes in the countries. The founders believed the country needed a head of state, separate from the legislature. share. "They came up with this crazy scheme of electors chosen by the states, but they couldn't imagine how it would work. Roosevelt was dissatisfied with the actions of his successor, William H. Taft, so he decided to run again for president in 1912 as . Now - that being said, if everyone does their job "work for the people, and the common good" our government will work no matter who is President. 'A 1916 Propaganda Map Created by the Allies During World War I Germany's resumption of submarine attacks on passenger and merchant ships in 1917 became the primary motivation behind Wilson's decision to lead the United States into World War I. Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution states that No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States. Alexander Hamilton called the clause a cornerstone of republican government, saying that without titles of nobility, there can never be serious danger that the government will be anything other than that of the people.. The Articles of Confederation, an admirable failure of decentralization, would be replaced by the U.S. Constitution. we cant have law breakers be law makers, regardle y they decided on a president, with his cabinet to advise and help him (together known as the executive branch), as well as the judicial and legislative branches with their own powers. Happily the matter is now done with, I hope never to be revived, Washington wrote at the conclusion of the ordeal. However in the US the President is actually the Head of State and the Head of Government, making it rather unique. Or at least answer the mail. Yes, Washington, like many of his successors, had to worry about leaks. Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Eventually the Senate agreed to the simplified version of their grandiose title, and Washington became President of the United States. After this, Truman ordered that the hydrogen bomb be created. In recent years historians and policy analysts have questioned President Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan. The US wanted to avoid the casualties resulting from an invasion of Japan and to end the war quickly. He was from the Democrat Party. All the reasons played their unique part in the dropping of the bomb. But in this election year, as the nation nears the 225th anniversary of Constitution Day which marks the documents adoption on Sept. 17, 1787 it is worth remembering that the very idea of a president was once as novel as the republic itself. However there were key factors in the dropping of the bomb, firstly was to scare them off and stop the spreading of communism. A king by any other name would be just as tyrannicalor so thought the earliest American politicians (and the Romans, who abhorred the title rex and its dangerous association with unchecked power). It wasn't till after Franklin D. Roosevelt won four consecutive presidential elections, leaving office only because he died, that the government decided limits might be a good idea. Despite checks and balances from Congress, for example, the President is ultimately the one who decides whether to send our nation to war. As a result, the President must respond to the opinions of far more people than he had to in previous generations. President Trump ordered 60 Russian diplomats to leave U.S. soil. It basically said, "If you want to, we will help you in the effort of helping you regain some of your lost territories from the United States. The thought of invading Japan gave Truman and his advisors pause. Why did America decide to have just 9 justices? Here at the end of the election, those of us who've watched our political norms crumble one after the . The President can't sway either of the other two branches due to fact they are all independent of each other, however once parties were formed, it allowed the stronger party to do as it wished "right or wrong and or publicly popular or not", it quickly allowed a party to control the executive branch of the government and then by executive nomination and vote it can control the direction of the judicial branch. Apart from that, many burning questions were still unsettled in late August, when, in timeworn congressional tradition, the delegates punted. But making the call to create the Presidency was not easy. By the time the Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia in 1787, every detail was up for grabs. NY 10036. It is sixty years since the biggest case of racial profiling in U.S. history. Some former presidents and politicians choose to be addressed by their titles even after their careers are over (not Washington, who reverted to his military title of general after leaving office, or John Quincy Adams or Harry Truman). However the power isn't automatic, it depends on the constitution of the country in question. The electors are really voters, and their votes count in a very big way. 2 By David S. Ferriero The Electoral College. The Framers finally settled on a term of four years with the possibility of reelection, which they figured would give the President incentive and keep him accountable. All 3 branches check and balance each other so no one gets too powerful. At first, convention attendees -- which included James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington -- assumed that the legislature would pick the President, who would serve for seven years without opportunity for re-election. To patriots who had fought a war against a king, the thought of one person wielding great power, at the head of a standing army, gave them the willies. "The Framers found it hard to imagine how the President would be elected," Rakove said. Heres how to watch. She has previously written for The Atlantic, Salon, Nautilus and others. She is also the author of The Last Voyageurs: Retracing La Salle's Journey Across America. . Why did America decide to have a president? Kenneth C. Davis is the author of Dont Know Much About History and the forthcoming Dont Know Much About the American Presidents.. And the presidents of Congress 14 of. And they proposed a voting system that placed the choice in the hands of electors whose selection would be left to the legislatures of the individual states, later to be called the Electoral College. Between 1849 and 1853, about 24,000 young Chinese men immigrated to California. American culture: Traditions and customs of the United States. I am so disappointed; I am completely disturbed with the state of America. Had Truman and his commanders shrunk from doing everything. The announced reduction in U.S. troops in Afghanistan is especially . Manage My Data President Franklin D Roosevelt is pictured during the joint session of Congress, 8 December 1941. President Trump has decided to end his presidency with a flourish by withdrawing many of the U.S. troops deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Japanese port city was flattened to the ground 'as if it had been swept aside by a broom', with over 70,000 people killed. Eventuall. Japan was a hated enemy. George Washington became the first President in 1789. Presiding over the meeting that was inventing this new government, Washington rarely spoke. | READ MORE, Lorraine Boissoneault is a contributing writer to SmithsonianMag.com covering history and archaeology. The leaders of the United States decided to create a new government because They recognized that the central government created by the Articles of Confederation was too weak.. "Whoever controls the House or the Senate controls the agenda," says Gary Nordlinger, a . . They couldnt even answer a letter without congressional approval. Against-appeasement would feed Hitler's military aggression; Great . Wiki User 2015-12-09 15:08:27 Study now See answer (1) Copy The founders believed the country needed a head of state, separate from the legislature.. Even though it appears diamond shaped on the map, the capital was to be a square-shaped measuring 10 miles on all sides. Why did Theodore Roosevelt decided to run for presidency in 1912? "The current arrangements for selecting the president," Pfiffner wrote in his book "The Modern Presidency," "have taken on an aura of fixedness that was not at all certain until the closing days of the Constitutional Convention.". Why did the Chinese come to America during the gold rush? As Franklin said early in June, The first man put at the helm will be a good one. No one doubted that he meant George Washington, sitting in front of the room and presiding over the meeting. In 1945, America was weary of war. And from what they'd seen, they worried that putting one person in charge would foster monarchy, tyranny and oppression. Love unconditional my life my soul. Why did America decide to have a President? save. Thoughts and Philosophies of an Everyday Guy. Two reasons; tradition (Washington famously refused to run for a third term), and the need to ensure a President lives long enough with full mental faculties. Stark warned Roosevelt that failure by the United States to aid Britain . Why did America decide to have a President? Stay up to date on the latest science news by signing up for our Essentials newsletter. In 1903 the pronounceable acronym POTUS first came into use, and was quickly followed by FLOTUS (First Lady of the U.S.) and SCOTUS (for the Supreme Court). Lyndon Baines Johnson was the President of the United States of America. Members of the House are elected for two-year terms, so all 435 seats are decided during the midterm elections. When the delegates from the 13 new states sat down to write the constitution, they all had di No law in the world will stop a criminal from committing a crime - criminals are criminals because they don't obey laws. This is a question historians continue to debate. 44, No. 6 comments. Critics of the decision to use the "special bomb" in 1945 are judging men born in the 19th century by the standards of the 21st. before a Joint Session of Congress On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced before a special joint session of Congress the dramatic and ambitious goal of sending an American safely to the Moon before the end of the decade. As Americans head to the polls this season, most have lost sight of the history in their hopes and fears for the future. An erudite Scotsman and signer of the Declaration, James Wilson of Pennsylvania, railed against the idea of an executive council, saying it would contain nothing but uncontrolled, continued and violent animosities., Another hotly contested question was who would choose the executive. He certainly didnt imagine Barack Obama playing hoops. What's the difference between race and ethnicity? theres 1 president/leader, 100 senators, and 500+ representatives but 9 justices?? (Amanda Voisard/The Washington Post via Getty Images) ProPublica . It's no. Throughout the late 1960s, the mood in America transformed. Born Texas, August 27, 1908. At that time, hundreds of Allied prisoners of war were working close to the bomb's detonation point, as forced labourers . So - As a country, if we get rid of the corruption (possibly parties) and regain common control, we still and will have a chance to remain free and become the the decision makers once again. Did it begin in the 1950s when the Geneva Accords . ", PHOTOS: Broken Campaign Promises: A History. Biden had inherited a deal from former President Donald Trump to withdraw forces by May 1, 2021, leaving him with a choice to either follow through belatedly . This idea riled another key framer, Pennsylvanias Gouverneur Morris, a wealthy transplanted New Yorker, who thought that election by the legislature would lead only to intrigue, cabals and faction.. Not a rousing endorsement of the so-called Miracle in Philadelphia. Most wanted a single chief executive officer of some kind, after their first written government, the articles of confederation, failed because the national government was too weak. The war had shown that the Japanese were fighting for the Emperor who convinced them that it was better to die than surrender. But even with that binding document and a democratically elected leader, what would the United States of America call its new chief executive? National Popular Vote argues that the current system encourages presidential candidates to spend most of their time in "swing states" rather than campaigning for votes across the entire . But their impact on the 2024 presidential election may be dwarfed by Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter. On April 4, 1917, the U.S. Senate voted in support of the measure to declare war on Germany. "It was, I think, the biggest question mark in American constitutionalism in the beginning.". In 1789, the year of George Washingtons election, America had spent six years recovering from the Revolutionary War and twice that amount of time trying to nail down what form the new nations government would take. Here's why. When the delegates from the 13 new states sat down to write the constitution, they all had different ideas on how our government should be, but they all agreed to no longer have a king, after fighting the revolutionary war to escape King George. In 1939, physicists Albert Einstein, left, and Leo Szilard drafted a letter to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, urging him to research atomic bombs before the Germans could build one first.. This story was provided by Discovery News. They had learned that they did not want a king with. Most wanted a single chief executive officer of some kind, after their first written government, the articles of confederation, failed because the national government was too weak. New York, From Rose Garden photo-ops and the commander in chief bounding down the steps of Air Force One, to the annual Kabuki performance called the State of the Union, the office and its trappings seem as if they always existed. Thank you for signing up to Live Science. A number of political factors affected Kennedy's decision and the timing of it. Cookie Settings, Gift of Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, NPG, Why Prehistoric Herders Didn't Spit Out Their Watermelon Seeds, The Biggest Fails in License Plate History, Rare Emerald Discovered in 300-Year-Old Shipwreck Could Sell for $70,000, A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials. What kinds of powers would he have? See answer (1) Best Answer. American Pride He would command the army, but Congress would declare war. '", After the United States declared independence from Great Britain in 1776, leaders spent years thinking about how to rule the country without becoming another monarchy, said Jack Rakove, professor of history and political science at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., and author of "Revolutionaries: A New History of the Invention of America. Sources say President Barack Obama plans to spend more time showing Donald Trump the ropes because he needs extra guidance, The Wall Street Journal's Michael C. Bender and Carol E. Lee reported.