|
Home >
Government >
President |
|
|
The President of the United States of America is the head of state of the United
States. The office of President was established upon the ratification of the
United States Constitution in 1789, and the President serves as chief executive
and head of the executive branch of the United States government. Article Two of
the United States Constitution establishes the President as the
Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and enumerates powers specifically
granted to the President, including the power to sign into law bills passed by
both houses of the Legislature, to create a Cabinet of advisors, to grant
pardons or reprieves, and, with the "advice and consent" of the United States
Senate, to make treaties and appoint Officers, Ambassadors, Judges, and Justices
of the Supreme Court.
Prior to the American Revolutionary Period in 1776 and from the American
Revolutionary War to the 1789 ratification of the Constitution, there was no
comparable figure with executive authority over the Thirteen Colonies, although
individuals who presided over the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary
period and under the post-war Articles of Confederation were referred to as
"President of the United States of America in Congress Assembled", often
shortened to "President of the United States." The President's executive
authority, tempered by the checks and balances of the Judicial and Legislative
branches of the Federal Government, was designed to solve several political
problems faced by the young nation and anticipate future challenges, while still
preventing the rise of an autocrat over a nation wary of royal authority.
The United States was the first nation to create the office of President as the
head of state in a modern republic, and today the presidential system of
government is used in several countries throughout the world. As of 2006, there
have been forty-three Presidents of the United States. The first President of
the United States was George Washington, and the 43rd and current President of
the United States is George W. Bush. From the early 20th Century, the United
States' status as a hyperpower has led the American President to be one of the
world's best-known public figures, often described as the most powerful person
on Earth, and sometimes referred to as "the leader of the free world".
Past Presidents |
|
|
|
