Unit 8 The President of the United States
(This unit is based on Article 11, Sections 1,2.)
The President is the chief executive of the
United States. His job is to see that the laws
passed by Congress are carried out.
Qualifications.
The Constitution sets down
certain qualifications for the office of President.
First, the President must be a natural born, or
native, citizen of the United States. Second, he
must be at least thirty-five years old. Finally, he
must be a resident of the United States for
fourteen years.
Term of Office. The President is elected to a
four-year term of office. As a result of the Twentysecond Amendment, which was adopted in 1951,
no President may be elected for more than two
terms. If the President dies or is removed from
office, he is succeeded by the Vice-President.
Like any other government official, the President
receives a salary. According to the Constitution,
this salary may not be raised or lowered during the
President's term of office.
Currently, the
President's salary is set at $ 4 0 0 , 0 0 0 a year. In
addition, he receives a $200,000 a year expense
allowance. This is to cover the costs of traveling,
official entertaining, and running the White House.
The Powers of the President. The President's
first duty is to enforce all the laws passed by
Congress. For example, he must see that taxes
are collected and that the money is spent as
Congress orders. When Congress appropriates,
or budgets, money for a missile system, for
instance, it is the President's responsibility to see
that such a system is built.
In order to carry out his job as the nation's chief
executive, the President often relies on his
Cabinet, which is presently composed of fifteen
executive departments. The Cabinet secretaries
advise the President and work with him to enforce
the laws.
Many other executive departments,
offices, and commissions have been established
to help the President carry out his duties. The
Constitution gives the President the right to call for
written reports from any of his department heads
whenever he deems it necessary.
The President is also commander in chief of the
nation's armed forces. This means that he has
the power to send American troops anywhere in
the world. Furthermore, the President has the
power to conduct all dealings with foreign nations.
He may receive foreign ambassadors and
ministers
and
may
negotiate
treaties,
or
agreements, with other nations with the approval
of two-thirds of the Senate. He is also responsible
for
appointing
America's
ministers
and
ambassadors. In addition, the Constitution gives
the President the power to grant pardons and to
appoint federal judges, Cabinet secretaries, and
many other federal officials.
The President has the power to call Congress
into special session and to adjourn Congress, or
bring a congressional session to a close, if the
Senate and the House cannot agree on an
adjournment date. The President also has the
right to approve or veto all bills.
Finally, the Constitution requires that the
President deliver to Congress from time to time a
state of ttie union message.
This is the yearly
address in which the President reports to
Congress on conditions in the nation and
recommends possible actions to be taken.
(See chart on page 23.)
The President works from the Oval Office in the White House.
Name
Hour
Date
ACTIVITY PAGE
A. True or False
In the space at ttie left, write T if the statement is true or F if it is false.
1. Congress enforces the law..
2. Any person over twenty-one years of age may become President.
3. The President must be a natural born citizen of the United States.
4. The President has no control over the armed forces.
5. The President appoints all federal judges.
6. Treaties with other countries are made by the Senate.
7. The President sends an annual message to Congress on the state of the union.
B. Words to Know
In the space at the left, write the letter of the term that best fits the definition.
1. agreements with other nations
a. natural born
2. native
b. appropriates
bring to a close
c. Cabinet
budgets
d. treaties
the President's annual address to Congress in which
he discusses conditions in the nation
e. adjourn
the fifteen executive departments which advise the
President and help him carry out his duties
f.
C.
state of the union message
Facts to Remember
Fill in the blanks with the word or phrase that best completes
1. No President may be elected for more than
the
sentence.
terms.
2. If the President dies, he is succeeded by the
.
3. The President's first job is to
the law.
4 . The President conducts all dealings with
.
5. The President approves or
all bills.
i
D. Things to Do
After consulting an almanac or encyclopedia, answer the following questions.
1. Prepare a talk discussing the advantages of requiring Senate approval of all treaties.
2. Write a paragraph explaining why some Presidents have been strong while others have been considered weak.
3. List the fifteen Cabinet departments and name the secretary of each one.