The President of the United States of America

First Major Challenge

The first challenge our founders undertook in creating the constitution for the United States was determining the number of presidents that our country should have.  Some of our founders wanted a president to represent each state.  Others only wanted there to be one president.  While yet others wanted there to be presidents assigned to geographical areas.

It took 67 votes before our founders had a consensus.   Our Founders created the office for one president.  It was felt that one president would be able to operate with vigor along with being unable to evade responsibility for errors in judgment.

Under the Articles of Confederation we did not have a president.  Our Founders new the error of not having an executive officer because they lived through a period where it was near impossible to get things done.  Everything was being done by committee.  Governing by committee is very inefficient as there was no one in authority to make a final decision.

Established Multiple Checks and Balances

At the same time they were fearful of an all powerful central authority.  That was the reason for the Revolutionary War that had been fought just a few years earlier.  Therefore, knowing that a central managing president had to be installed they established check and balances so that the president could not become a dictator.
Our founding fathers proved to be extremely wise.  Wise in understanding human nature.  They knew that power corrupts and that absolute power corrupts absolutely.  So understanding this reality the founders established the constitution with multiple checks and balances to protect the rights and freedoms of the people.

The Constitution that WAS!

Our founding fathers established in the constitution six duties the office of the president was to be responsible to carry out.  These were to be the only duties of the president.

1. The president was to be the “Chief of State” for all the states of the nation.
2. The president was to be the “Commander-in-Chief” over all the military in peace and war.
3. The president was to be the “Chief Executive Officer” over the executive branch.  The executive branch was to perform duties assigned by the House and Senate.  It would be the responsibility of the “Chief Executive Officer” to determine how these assignments were to be carried out.
4. The president was to be the “Chief Diplomat” handling foreign relations.
5. The president was to be the “Chief Architect” for needed legislation.  The president was to advise the House and Senate in establishing legislation.
6. Lastly, the president was to be the “Conscience of the Nation”.  The president would be able to pardon or reprieve those that were to be unjustly punished for acts outside the purview of the States.  The president was to be entrusted to be the “heart and soul” of the nation.

This was the limit of the duties assigned by the founding fathers to the office of the President of the United States.

Today the president has been given authority that far exceeds what our founders had originally intended.

Video – The Most Powerful Political Office in the World

In the video Dr. Glenn Kimber will explain the duties that congress has assigned to the office of president duties that exceed the limits set by our founding fathers.  James Madison, the father of the Constitution, said the powers given to the federal government should be few and defined.

Originally the federal government was restricted to laws and regulations that are outside of the States’ control. This is no longer the case.  The president is making laws by executive order that affect peoples freedoms along with the States respective rights and sovreignty.

The duties that have been allocated to the president are so immense that no one person can effectively manage all of the bureaus, departments, and agencies.  Congress has not held their responsibility by utilizing the “checks and balances” that had originally been established.

America Can Be Healed!

To heal America we need to bring the constitution as originally established by our founding fathers back into fruition.  We must restore the checks and balances that the founders had originally provided to protect the rights and freedoms of the people.