Synopses & Reviews
The Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial. Why do we devote monuments to the presidents? Why do we honor them, instead of Congress, or the courts? A Presidential Nation examines how the presidency—an office limited by the Constitution and separation of powers—became the centerpiece of American government. Michael A. Genovese argues that in rebelling against the British, the Framers of the Constitution invented a circumscribed presidency to guard against executive tyranny. Yet, over time, presidential power has risen and congressional power declined to a point where the United States has a near imperial presidency. Reexamining the status of presidential power in the post-9/11 world, Dr. Genovese considers the alternatives, if any, to the current model of presidential power. A Presidential Nation is perfect for students of American Presidency and Federal Governance courses and anyone interested in the changing authority of the American political system.
Review
"
A Presidential Nation is a spirited contribution to the rise, entrenchment and consequences for America of the cult of the presidency and the dangers it poses to the republic.”
David Gray Adler, University of Idaho
"A fast walk through the historical development of the presidency that ends with a bang! Professor Michael Genovese not only details the rise in presidential power and authority, but he also suggests a series of thought-provoking reforms to simultaneously modernize American government and shrink the imperial presidency. This masterfully crafted, yet surprisingly compact volume should be read by not only students and scholars, but also the American public. Advocating for a constitutionally bound strong executive, Professor Genovese's A Presidential Nation will surely foster discussion and debate beyond the classroom. A pleasure to read, it is both eye-opening and eye-catching."
Lara M. Brown, Villanova University
Speaking on the perceived immutability of the US Constitution, Thomas Jefferson presciently warned that We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy. In A Presidential Nation, Michael Genovese demonstrates how and why the boys constitutional coat no longer fits a mature nation. Genoveses analysis of the variations in congressional and judicial resistance to the concentration of presidential power over time is forceful and incisive. But this book is not merely an update to The Imperial Presidency. Rather, it provides theoretical models for understanding the concentration of power into the unitary executive doctrine, and provides a prescription for principles that better suit a modern superpower than the constitutional restrictions from 200 years ago. Genovese convincingly shows that unless we want to return to isolationism and shirk our responsibilities of global leadership in the modern era, we must update our constitutional system. The coat no longer fits, and Genovese has tailored a new one that does. This is an important book, and it should be of vital interest to anyone concerned with how our centuries-old system of government can withstand the perils of the modern world.”
Todd L. Belt, University of Hawaii at Hilo
Genovese traces various precedents that historically widened presidential power, attributing to national security emergencies
the culpability for present executive-branch prerogatives
He recommends that Congress reclaim power from the presidency and that citizens inform themselves about the presidency, an effort to which his book lends support. Recommended for civics collections that circulate.”
Booklist
A fine and engaging investigation.”
The Midwest Book Review
In this concise book by one of the leading presidential scholars in the country, readers learn how the US became a presidential nation,
Genovese describes the rise of the presidency pre-Civil War, the triumph of the office in the post-Civil War era
[and] arguments over presidential supremacy in the wake of September 11. Included readings from primary sources increase the appeal for undergraduate courses on the presidency, and for readers generally interested in US politics. Highly recommended.”
Choice
Synopsis
An engaging investigation of how the presidency has changed from its original role, as laid out in the U.S. Constitution, to become closer in power to an imperial monarch
About the Author
Michael A. Genovese is professor of political science and director of the Institute for Leadership Studies at Loyola Marymount University. He is the associate editor of the journal
White House Studies and the author of numerous books, including
The Paradoxes of the American Presidency and
The Encyclopedia of the American Presidency, Facts-on File.
Table of Contents
1. On Becoming A Presidential Nation
2. In the Beginning: Inventing the Presidency
3. The Rise of Presidential Power: From Chief Clerk to Leader In War, 1787-1865
4. The Presidency Takes Center Stage, 1866-2000
5. 9/11 and The Presidency: The Most Dangerous Branch? or Letat Cest Moi, 2001-Present
6. A Cure for the Imperial Presidency
7. Conclusion: Judging Americas Republican Experiment