The Presidency of the United States: A Student Companion (Oxford Student Companions to American Government) 2nd Edition

321 Pages·2002·30.28 MB·English

by  Richard M. Pious

THE
PRESIDENCY
OF THE UNITED STATES
A Student Companion

THE
PRESIDENCY
OF THE UNITED STATES
A Student Companion
SECOND EDITION
Richard M. Pious
OXPORD
UNIVERSITY PRESS
Oxford University Press
Oxford New York
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Copyright © 2001 by Richard M. Pious
Published by Oxford University Press, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Pious, Richard M.
Presidency of the United States : a student companion / Richard M. Pious.—2nd ed.
p.cm. — (Oxford student companions to American government)
Rev. ed. of: The young Oxford companion to the Presidency of the United States. c!994.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 13: 978-0-19-515006-3
1. Presidents—United States—Encyclopedias, Juvenile. 2. Vice-Presidents—United States-
Encyclopedias, Juvenile. I. Pious, Richard M., 1994- Young Oxford companion to the
presidency of the United States. II. Title. III. Series.
E176.1.P64 2001
973'.09'9-dc21 2001036136
98765432
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper.
ISBN 13: 978-0-19-515006-3
ISBN 10: 0-19-515006-6
On the cover: (top left) A campaign banner for Theodore Roosevelt;
(top right) President John F. Kennedy; (bottom) President's House,
an 1848 lithograph based on a water color by Augustus Kollner.
Frontispiece: George Washington takes the oath of office at
Federal Hall in New York City in 1789.
CONTENTS
7
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
8
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
9
THE PRESIDENCY
OF THE UNITED STATES:
A STUDENT COMPANION
297
APPENDIX 1: PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION RESULTS
301
APPENDIX 2: PRESIDENTIAL TERMS
302
APPENDIX 3: IMPORTANT DATES IN THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRESIDENCY
305
APPENDIX 4: PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIC
SITES AND LIBRARIES
310
FURTHER READING
313
INDEX
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7
PREFACE
TO THE SECOND EDITION
Then the first edition of this Com- with incalculable damage to the people's
% JL I panion was published, the Office regard for the Presidency.
V V of President was occupied by Bill What is clear, once again, is that the fun-
Clinton. He reshaped the institution to fit his damental basis for Presidential governance in
own style, and he expanded Presidential pow- our country does not rest either on majority
ers. In particular, Clinton extended the war vote or majority support of public opinion,
powers and diplomatic powers of the Presi- nor does it rest on maintaining majorities in
dency, with an invasion of Haiti that removed Congress. The Presidency is a constitutional
a repressive regime, a successful mediation office, and its power consists of effective inter-
attempt to end religious conflict in Northern pretation and use of the Constitution. That
Ireland, leadership of NATO in curtailing Ser- has always been its irreducible core, and so it
bian atrocities in Kosovo, and an unsuccessful remains today.
effort to end the conflict between Israel and This second edition of The Presidency of
the Palestinians. During Clinton's second term, the United States: A Student Companion has
however, his Presidency was compromised by a been updated completely to reflect the
constitutional crisis brought on by his sexual changes that have occurred in and around the
escapades in the Oval Office. His impeach- Oval Office since 1993.
ment by the House of Representatives marked • New articles have been added for
only the second time a sitting President has George W. Bush and Richard Cheney.
been called to account in this manner. • Articles on Bill Clinton and Al Gore are
The election of 2000 very nearly involved fully updated, including Clinton's impeach-
a constitutional crisis of great magnitude. For ment and the 2000 election.
weeks, while the Florida election results were • Other new articles include three impor-
in doubt, federal and state courts had to tant overviews of African Americans, Women,
consider how and if to intervene. The Florida and Hispanic Americans in the Executive
Supreme Court ordered state judges to con- Branch, Third parties in American politics,
duct recounts of the ballots, but the court's Presidential perks, and more.
order was overturned by the United States • Dozens of articles such as Executive
Supreme Court. The Court backed the deci- privilege, Electoral college, Impeachment,
sion of the Secretary of State in Florida, Kath- Censure, and Secretary of State have been
leen Harris, to certify the original election lengthened to reflect important events of
results, which gave the state's electoral votes recent years.
to George W. Bush. If, however, a recount had • An expanded Further Reading section,
given the popular vote—and the electoral fully updated appendixes, and new Web sites
vote—to Al Gore Jr., and if the Republican- for Presidential Historic Sites and Libraries
controlled state legislature had contradicted will make research accurate and easy.
that result, then the issue would have been The Presidency has been a constitutional
settled by a Republican Congress. Had that office for more than 200 years, but in spite of
occurred, the principle of popular choice for its constancy it is always changing. This
Presidential electors would have been over- Companion's second edition offers you the
turned by the state legislature and Congress, very latest developments.
8
HOW TO USE
THIS BOOK
T
he articles in this Companion are ar- Regarding succession, see such articles as
ranged alphabetically, so you can look Assassinations, Presidential; Disability, Presi-
up words, concepts, or names as you dential; Inauguration, Presidential; Transitions,
come across them in other readings. You can Presidential; and 25th Amendment. Appendix
then use the SEE ALSO listings at the end of an 1 contains a table of election results for all
article to read about related subjects. In some Presidential elections.
cases, you may find that the Companion deals Presidential advisers: If you want to know
with information under a different article name about the staff agencies, advisers, and execu-
than what you looked up. In these cases, the tive departments that help the President per-
book will refer you immediately to the proper form his functions, you can look up Brains
article. For example, if you look up Executive Trust; Cabinet; and White House Office, for
Protective Service, you will find the notation example. You can also look up the names of
"SEE Secret Service, U.S." If you cannot find a individual offices, such as Attorney general of
separate article on a particular subject, look in the United States.
the index, which will guide you to the relevant Decisions: To read about Presidential deci-
articles. All people are listed alphabetically by sion making, see such articles as Cuban Missile
last name; for example, the entry for John Crisis; Decision making, Presidential; Gulf of
Adams is listed as Adams, John, under A Tonkin Resolution; and Monroe Doctrine.
You can also use this Companion topically, Policies: The major domestic programs of
by reading all the articles that deal with a par- 20th-century Presidents are described in the
ticular aspect of the Presidency. Below is a following articles: Fair Deal; Great Society;
grouping of topics and the suggested order in New Deal; New Freedom; New Frontier; and
which articles can be read. Square Deal.
Biographies: There are articles on all the Perks of office: How do Presidents live,
Presidents and Vice Presidents of the United how much are they paid, and what are their
States and selected First Ladies. The biographi- fringe benefits? These questions are answered in
cal dates used throughout this book are gener- the following articles: Air Force One; Camp
ally accepted by scholars; readers may find that David; Children of Presidents; Ex-Presidency;
some dates vary in "standard sources." You "Hail to the Chief"; Salary, Presidential; Secret
can find statistical information about the Presi- Service, U.S.; and White House.
dents and Vice Presidents in chronological or- Theories about the Presidency: Four articles
der by consulting the table in Appendix 2. explore theories about Presidential power devel-
Powers: If you want to know about the oped by historians, constitutional scholars, and
constitutional powers of the President, you can political scientists: Hidden-hand Presidency;
read articles such as Appointment power, Com- Imperial Presidency; Modern Presidency; and
mander in chief, Creation of the Presidency, Postmodern Presidency.
and Veto power. Articles on checking and bal- Further Reading: If you want to know
ancing Presidential power include the following: more about any of the topics presented in this
Censure, resolutions of; Checks and balances; Companion, you can use the FURTHER
Ethics, Presidential; Impeachment; and War READING entries at the end of each article,
Powers Resolution (WPR). which include citations of scholarly books and
Election and succession: A number of articles written by academic specialists. There is
articles deal with Presidential nominations and also a Further Reading guide at the end of the
elections, including Congressional caucus; book, which lists more general sources and
Debates, Presidential; and Ticket, for example. some more accessible to younger readers.
9
THE PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES
A Student Companion
perticuliar [sic] care and attention is not
Adams, Abigail
paid to the Laidies [sic] we are deter-
FIRST LADY mined to foment a Rebellion, and will
not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in
Born: Nov. 11, 1744, Weymouth,
which we have no voice, or Representa-
Mass.
tion." But her plea was unavailing: at the
Wife of John Adams, 2nd President
Died: Oct. 28, 1818, Braintree, Mass. end of the Revolution women had fewer
rights in law and politics than they had
been given by colonial governments.
In November 1800, in the last year
WIFE OF John Adams, second President
of her husband's Presidency, Abigail
of the United States, mother of John
Adams became the first Presidential wife
Quincy Adams, sixth President, and an
to occupy the White House in Washing-
early champion of women's rights, Abi-
ton, D.C. More than two decades after
gail Adams spent much of her life in
her death, in 1840, her grandson Charles
towns on the outskirts of Boston. She
Francis Adams began publishing her let-
had no formal schooling and her spelling
ters, which became an inspiration to
was poor, but she was widely read and
many women seeking greater equality.
learned to read and write French. In
October 1764 she married John Adams, FURTHER READING
a young law student. She strongly sup- Butterfield, L. H., et al., eds. The Book of
Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the
ported his criticisms of British colonial
Adams Family 1762-1784. Cambridge:
policies. During the first 10 years of their Harvard University Press, 1975.
marriage they had four children. Then Levin, Phyllis Lee. Abigail Adams: A Biog-
raphy. New York: St. Martin's, 1987.
revolutionary politics separated the cou-
Nagel, Paul C. The Adams Women: Abigail
ple for most of the next decade. During and Louisa Adams, Their Sisters and
the Revolution, Abigail Adams ran the Daughters. New York: Oxford, 1989.
Withey, Lynne. Dearest Friend: A Life of
family farm and several business enter-
Abigail Adams. New York: Free Press,
prises. In 1784 she rejoined her husband
1981.
in France, then in 1785 traveled with Woloch, Nancy. "Abigail Adams." In The
him to London, where he was the Ameri- Reader's Companion to American History,
edited by Eric Foner and John Garraty.
can minister to Great Britain.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1991.
Abigail wrote numerous letters to
her husband, relatives, and friends,
Adams, John
among them leaders of the Revolution
such as Thomas Jefferson. Her letter
2ND PRESIDENT
writing was not only a form of commu-
nication but also a form of expression ft Born: Oct. 19, 1735, Braintree, Mass.
ft Political party: Federalist
through which she could develop her
ft Education: Harvard College, A.B., 1755
ideas and influence the leaders of the
ft Military service: none
new American nation.
ft Previous government service:
Among those things she wrote was Continental Congress, 1774-78;
an eloquent statement on women's equal- committee that drafted Declaration of
Independence, 1776; wrote first draft
ity. "I desire you would Remember the
of Massachusetts Constitution, 1779;
ladies," she wrote to her husband in minister to the Netherlands, 1780-84;
1776 while he was attending the Conti- minister to Great Britain, 1785-87;
Vice President, 1789-97
nental Congress in Philadelphia, "and be
ft Elected President, 1796; served,
more generous and favourable to them 1797-1801
than your ancestors." She added that "if ft Died: July 4, 1826, Quincy, Mass.