The Power of the American Presidency: 1789-2000

by Michael A. Genovese

Book Overview

In its more than 200-year history, the office of the President of the United States has undergone a variety of dramatic changes. Because our founding fathers left the privileges and responsibilities of the job constitutionally vague and ill-defined, each occupant of the office--from George Washington to Bill Clinton--has tried to set the limits of presidential power as he has seen fit based on the domestic and international circumstances of the day...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195125452
• ISBN13: 9780195125450
• Release Date: July 2000
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Growth of Power

I like this book! "The Power of the American Presidency" is an informative and enjoyable book to read. Genovese gives the reader a broad view of the roots of the American presidency and its powers. Readers will see how some presidents excelled while others lagged behind, how some presidents developed and strengthened presidential powers to lead the country forward while others weakened them and failed to lead.... Genovese describes how a president was accused of breaking the law, or at least? steered around the US Constitution? in order to save a nation, how some loved the position of president while others couldn't wait for their term to end. Genovese shows us the presidents that made the top of the list of great presidents, those who landed on the bottom, and how others took the deep plunge into presidential obscurity. The reader will also discover which president served the longest term, which served the shortest, which president disliked politics.... But most importantly, Genovese explains the development of the American presidency and the expansion of its power. "The Power of the American Presidency" entices the reader's thirst for knowledge and serves as a good jumping point for further study on the American presidency and presidential powers. Genovese's writing is smart, crisp, and at times witty but always clear. I like that this book can be read from beginning to end, as I did, or it can be used as a reference tool, as I frequently do. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.