Evaluating the Presidencies of Three American Presidents

Nature of American Presidency --

The Nature of the American Presidency and how it has changed during the 20th century

Course Code

The Nature of the American Presidency and how it has changed during the 20th century

The nature of U.S. presidency of the current century is quite different from that developed by the Founding Fathers during the latter part of the eighteenth century. Provisions in the U.S. Constitution limited earlier Presidents. Up to the 1930s, the federal government was dominated by the Congress. For several years, the Congress held sway over the American President. There were, however, exceptions, such as Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt, who laid the foundation for a turning point with regard to the Presidential role, for future Presidents of the nation ( Independence Hall Association, 2008-2015).

American Presidency; Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and George W. Bush

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)

Popularly called the first forward-thinking U.S. President, Roosevelt ensured the Presidential role occupies a central spot in American politics, by means of insistent executive action, and the power of his strong personality. In his view, the President was entitled to utilize every power, except those he was expressly barred from exercising. Roosevelt's presidency gave credibility to the progressive effort, lending the White House's prestige to government rule and welfare legislature (Milkis, 2015).

Milkis (2015) is of the view that Roosevelt brought charm to the political scene. His rapport with American society was strong. He is believed to be the first person who won the Presidency mainly due to who he was as an individual, rather than because of belonging to a certain political party. His popularity and enthusiasm helped Roosevelt win votes, guide issues and shape views and, as a result, forever alter the U.S. executive office.

Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)

One of the greatest Presidents of the U.S., reformer Woodrow Wilson, aided in making the Presidential residence and office (i.e., White House) the command center of Washington DC. While he didn't concur with the views of Theodore Roosevelt with regard to numerous policy-related matters, he admired how Roosevelt adopted an aggressive leadership style for championing particular causes. Woodrow Wilson further developed Roosevelt's concept of greater power to the presidency. Wilson's biggest accomplishment was the 1913 Federal Reserve Act's passing, which gave rise to a system that, even today, continues to offer the framework to regulate national banks, money supply, and credit (Milkis, 2015).

It has been remarked by Milkis (2015) that aggressive patriotism and conformity held great significance in Wilson's regime. Private patriotic agencies persecuted any individual believed to be a political extremist. The Wilson Administration supported the military, America's involvement in the First World War, and the 1917 Espionage Act and 1918 Sedition Act, which forbade any criticizing remark on the government.

Furthermore, Wilson outlined "Fourteen Points," which, according to him, would prevent war in future. While this endeavor proved unsuccessful, the formation of the United Nations 25 years, hence symbolizes the bipartisan espousal of Wilsonian ideals, following World War II (Milkis, 2015).

George W. Bush (2001-2009)

The first term of the 43rd U.S. President George Bush was afflicted by the 9/11 terror attacks on the nation. With an aim to safeguard the nation against further attacks by terrorists, Bush passed the 2001 Patriot Act and established Homeland Security Department at Cabinet level. He also passed the momentous No Child Left behind (NCLB) Act, and withdrew U.S. sponsorship of the Kyoto Protocol of 1997. Bush was concerned about the fact that American economy would be adversely affected by the requirements of the international agreement (A&E Television Networks, 2015).