The Power of the American Presidency: 1789-2000

by Michael A. Genovese

In its more than 200-year history, the office of the President of the United States has undergone a variety of dramatic changes. Because our founding fathers left the privileges and responsibilities of the job constitutionally vague and ill-defined, each occupant of the office--from George Washington to Bill Clinton--has tried to set the limits of presidential power as he has seen fit based on the domestic and international circumstances of the day as well as on his own ambition and abilities. In The Power of the American Presidency , Michael A. Genovese, one of the best known and respected scholars on the presidency, takes students on a journey through the personalities and politics of some of the most fascinating and at times powerful men in American history. Organized chronologically, the text offers an overview of the evolution and elasticity of presidential power by providing case studies of each president's personal characteristics and the defining historical events of each
administration. From Abraham Lincoln, who stretched the boundaries of presidential power during the Civil War, to nearly forgotten presidents like Van Buren, Garfield, and Fillmore, who led weak administrations with limited power, Genovese presents the history of our country's highest office with insight, balanced judgment, and humor. The Power of the American Presidency will be widely used in undergraduate courses on the American Presidency as well as in courses on American history, American studies, and political science. It will also be of interest to anyone who wishes to gain a keener insight into the workings of the presidency.

Genres: Politics, History

288 pages, Paperback

First published July 20, 2000

Reviews

[Matthew Wanamaker · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book gives very brief descriptions of most of the presidents. If you do not know much about the history of the presidency, this book might be useful. However, I would recomend a much more detailed book.
Genovese uses his own ranking system to put the presidents in order. He seems to base most of the ranking on whether or not the president improved the power that the office had not on actual policies. Therefore "administrative" presidents do not do well in his system no matter what policies they implemented.

The tables that Genovese uses contradict each other. Presidents are given different rank numbers in different tables. He also uses the same quotes multiple times for some of the presidents.

This book is ok for a quick overview of the presidency, but does not provide for many detailed profiles outside of a few presidents.