Roles and Qualifications
List the three official qualifications to be the POTUS.
at least 35 years old, lived in the US at least 14 years, a natural-born citizen
Define succession.
coming after or following another person (in this case, the POTUS)
List three diplomatic powers of the POTUS.
making treaties, executive agreements, diplomatic recognition
Define amnesty and give an example of someone who commonly receives amnesty.
a pardon to group of offenders for an offense committed' undocumented immigrants
Define adminstration.
all of the people who work for the executive branch
List the President’s five official roles.
chief executive, chief administrator, commander-in-chief, foreign policy leader, chief agenda setter
List the three unofficial roles of the POTUS.
chief of state, chief citizen, party leader
Define executive order and executive privilege.
executive order-a formal rule or regulation that instructs govt. branch officials how to carry out their jobs (same weight as a law)
executive privilege-the right of the president to not disclose information to Congress or the courts if it would threaten national security
Define reprieve. List an example of a reprieve.
postponing the carrying out or length of a sentence' execution
What is the West Wing?
part of the White House with the offices for the POTUS's advisors; created in 1902 to accommodate growing govt.
Explain the role of chief executive and of chief administrator.
chief executive-make sure govt. programs are carried out and laws made by Congress are enforced
chief administrator-manage the executive depts. and the agencies that carry out govt. policy
Name the first three people in line for the Presidency after the POTUS.
vice-president, Speaker of the House, President Pro Tempore
Define executive agreement and diplomatic recognition.
executive agreement-agreement between the POTUS and the head of a foreign govt.
diplomatic recognition-the power to formally recognize a foreign govt.
Define commute and pardon.
commute-reduce the length of a sentence
pardon-releases a convicted criminal from having to fulfill a sentence
made up of the heads of the executive departments who carry out laws, administer programs, and make regulations in their particular area of responsibility
Explain the role of commander-in-chief, foreign policy leader, and chief agenda setter.
commander-in-chief-leader of the military (has the authority to order soldiers into action and call them home)
foreign policy leader-formulate plans and procedures for dealing with other countries
chief agenda setter-outlines the goals of their administration at the State of the Union address
List three things about the personal background of most presidents.
legal profession, Christians, 3/4 served in the military
Explain the President's military powers as well as the limitations on those powers. (Why were these limits established?)
War Powers Resolution-the POTUS can send soldiers into action overseas but they must notify Congress within 48-72 hours and bring the troops home within 60-90 days, established because of President Johnson's unilateral authorization of military action during the Vietnam War
Explain President Trump's most famous pardon from his first term as POTUS using 50 words.
Sheriff Arpaio
Explain how the position of the Vice President has changed over time.
initially an unimportant "symbolic" role
today, the VP is an important advisor to the POTUS, a liaison on foreign policy, attends Cabinet meetings, and sits on important meetings and councils
Using at least 50 words, explain which of the POTUS's roles is the most important.
answers may vary
Summarize the facts, issue, arguments on both sides, and the Supreme Court reasoning in the case of US v. Nixon.
Nixon supporters broke into DNC headquarters at the Watergate Hotel, Nixon interviewed them to gather information and prepare a coverup, these interviews were recorded, he released edited versions of the tapes, investigators requested the unedited version (to establish and evaluate witness credibility), he argued executive privilege, the Supreme Court ruled that since the conversations were not relevant to national security, executive privilege did not apply
Explain President Obama's most famous commuting of a sentence using 50 words.
Chelsea Manning
List the first three Cabinet positions that were created by President Washington.
state, treasury, war (defense)
Explain the most famous pardons of the Biden presidency and the beginning of Trump's second term.
Biden-his son Hunter
Trump-pardoning 1500 of the 1/6/21 rioters