Office of the U.S. President evolved over time
Most people believe in trial and error.
The United States of America used this process when creating the executive office by experiencing royal governors, a period with no real leadership and finally an executive office.
Without mention of political parties in the Constitution, because of the downfall of governments in European history according to the White House Historical Association (WHHA) learning center, in 1789 and 1792 the Electoral College unanimously voted George Washington to be elected as the first president of the United Sates.
Michael Nicholls, professor of history, said details for the position Washington was to hold were not spelled out because the people had great faith in him.
Denise Conover, lecturer for the history department, agrees.
“He looked very much [like a] leader,” Conover said. “He spent his whole life trying to project an image of leadership.”
Conover said Washington would make lists of voters and interesting facts about them while running for the House of Burgess in Virginia. Those things made him an astute politician, she said.
According to the WHHA, disagreements between Alexander Hamilton, Washington’s secretary of treasury and Thomas Jefferson, Washington’s secretary of state, led to the formation of two political parties – Republicans and Federalists.
Even though Washington was not keen on the idea of having political parties, he later adopted the Republican ideals.
An essay on the evolution of the presidency by the University of Dayton political science department describes a pendulum of power. When Washington was in office, the president held a lot of power leading in a quasi-monarchical manner. When Jefferson became president though, the power was shifted toward Congress.
The pendulum began to swing back in the direction of presidential power under Andrew Jackson and the spoils system, but reached full force under Abraham Lincoln, according to the essay.
Sophomore history major Jim DeVore said he felt Lincoln was one of the most important presidents because he kept the nation together and was a man of integrity while in office.
Power moved back to Congress under Andrew Johnson.
“There is no doubt Lincoln would have done a better job than Johnson [during the Reconstruction period],” Conover said.
Even though Lincoln probably would have done a better job than Johnson, Conover said he still would have encountered problems.
“He might not have lived on as angelic to us if he would have lived,” she said.
During World War I and the Woodrow Wilson administration, power was found more in the hands of the president and things went even further toward presidential power during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration and World War II, according to the University of Dayton essay.
Since then, power has bobbled back and forth, finding a comfortable spot in the middle.
Despite the changes in the world and the evolution of the presidency, some people feel the cycle has come full circle and Washington could still be just as good of a leader today.
“Washington could be president today for the soul reason that he was a military hero,” DeVore said. “Throughout history, war heroes have become president such as Washington, Grant and Eisenhower.”
Conover said Washington had some of the characteristics that still appeal to voters today such as his size at 6-feet-3-inches tall and 225 pounds.