HIS303 Week 5 Discussion (dq1+dq2)

HIS303 The American Constitution

Week 5 Discussion

DQ1 Conservative Constitutionalism. Historians sometimes speak of the “Reagan Revolution” that occurred after Ronald Reagan became president in 1981. This revolution represented a conservative backlash against the liberalism of the first half of the twentieth century, and arguably continues to set the tone of political debate in the country today. Identify the key ideological components of the conservative constitutionalism associated with the Reagan Era and the Rehnquist Court. In practice, how did conservative constitutionalism affect American politics and the American government? Has the influence of conservative constitutionalism increased or declined in the decades since Reagan left office?

When completing this assignment, draw from two of the following documents:

George H. W. Bush: Address before a joint session of the Congress on the state of the Union, January 28, 1992

George W. Bush: Address before a joint session of the Congress on the state of the Union, January 23, 2007

William J. Clinton: Inaugural address, January 20, 1997

Barack Obama: Inaugural address, January 20, 2009

Ronald Reagan: Inaugural address, January 20, 1981

Contract with America: 1994

DQ2 Expansion of Executive Power. Classical republican philosophy warned against the expansion of executive power, and throughout U.S. history, critics have assailed presidents—from Washington, to Jackson, to Lincoln, and beyond—for allegedly abusing their power in tyrannical ways. These fears arguably peaked during the Cold War, when foreign policy, a matter often delegated to the executive, expanded exponentially in importance. By the 1970s, some Americans feared that their country was being run by, in the words of historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., an “imperial presidency” (i.e., a presidency which held itself above the rule of law). Review the Constitution’s provisions regarding executive powers, particularly with regard to foreign affairs, along with the checks which the Constitution places on those powers.

How did the power of the executive expand during the second half of the twentieth century? How did Congress and the judiciary respond to this expansion of executive power? In what ways did they resist, and in what instances did they acquiesce to it? Has a new “imperial presidency” emerged in the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001?

When responding to these questions, refer to material from one of the following videos:

Constant combatants: The president and congress – A Fred Friendly seminar

Expanding power