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AP Government Unit 4

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What did Article II of the U.S. Constitution do?

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Terms in this set (73)

What did Article II of the U.S. Constitution do?

-Creates the executive branch, headed by a President
-President is single most powerful member of U.S. government
-Article II of U.S. Constitution defines the powers and duties of the President

What are the qualifications to be President?

-Constitution states the President must be 35 years old
-Must be a natural-born citizen
-Must have been a resident of the U.S. of the U.S. for 14 years prior to election

What is the traditional background of the President?

-White (Obama only exception)
-Male
-Married (Buchanan only President who never married)
-Northern European ancestry (Obama only exception)

What are the terms and term limits for President?

-Four-year term
-Limited to two terms by the Twenty-Second Amendment (1951)
-Washington refused third term, establishing precedent
-Only Franklin Roosevelt served more than 2 terms (he died in office in his fourth term)

Twenty-Second Amendment

-Passed in 1951
-Limits President to two terms in office
-Reaction to Franklin Roosevelt who was elected to his fourth term in 1944

How is the Electoral College selected?

-Electors originally chosen by state legislatures but today chosen by popular vote for President in the state
-Most states have winner-take-all systems: Electors of a state vote as a block for the winning candidate in their state

What happens if there is no Electoral College winner?

-If no candidate has a majority in the Electoral College, the President is chosen by the House from top three candidates
-In selecting the President in the House, each state gets one vote
-Twice in U.S. history the House has chosen the President (1800 and 1824)

What are pros and cons of the Electoral College?

-Advantage: Avoids prospect of a national recount of popular vote which could take months and produce no conclusive winner
-Disadvantage: In some cases, winner may not be the person who won the most votes in the popular election (Example: George Bush 2000 election)

What are proposed reforms to Electoral College?

-Proposal: Drop winner-take-all rule and choose electors by winner in each congressional district
-More likely that winner of popular vote would be President and that candidates would campaign in all states
-Large states would lose some clout

List powers of the President

-Include executive, legislative, diplomatic, military, and judicial powers
-President power limited by checks and balances of judicial and legislative branches

Executive Agreement

Agreement with another head of state not requiring approval from the Senate

Executive Order

The President directs an agency to carry out policies or existing laws

-The President can reject a part of a bill while approving the rest
-Mostly used for budget issues as a way to control pork barrel spending
-Declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1998

Executive Powers of the President

-Enforces federal law, treaties, and court decisions
-Appoints high ranking officials to U.S. government
-Issues executive orders and oversees writing of federal regulations to carry out laws

Legislative Powers of the President

-Signs or vetoes bills
-Proposes legislation to Congress
-Uses influence and pressure to get proposed legislation passed
-Drafts annual budget for U.S. government for approval by Congress