The Presidency of the United States

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By José Carlos Palma *

The Presidency of the United States was created in 1787, when the United States Constitution was drafted and subsequently ratified by the states. Prior to the ratification of the Constitution, the United States had operated under the Articles of Confederation, which provided for a weak central government and no executive branch.

Under the new Constitution, the President was established as the head of the executive branch, responsible for executing and enforcing the laws of the United States, and for serving as Commander-in-Chief of the military. The President was also given the power to negotiate treaties with foreign nations, and to nominate and appoint judges, ambassadors, and other officials with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The creation of the Presidency was a contentious issue during the Constitutional Convention, with some delegates arguing for a single executive, while others favored a council of executives or a weak executive. Ultimately, the delegates settled on a single executive, with limited powers and subject to checks and balances by the legislative and judicial branches of government.

The first President of the United States was George Washington, who was elected by the Electoral College in 1788 and took office in 1789. Since then, 46 individuals have served as President of the United States, each with their own leadership style, priorities, and challenges.

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Presidents of the United States chronologically by year:

1789-1797: George Washington
1797-1801: John Adams
1801-1809: Thomas Jefferson
1809-1817: James Madison
1817-1825: James Monroe
1825-1829: John Quincy Adams
1829-1837: Andrew Jackson
1837-1841: Martin Van Buren
1841: William Henry Harrison
1841-1845: John Tyler
1845-1849: James K. Polk
1849-1850: Zachary Taylor
1850-1853: Millard Fillmore
1853-1857: Franklin Pierce
1857-1861: James Buchanan
1861-1865: Abraham Lincoln
1865: Andrew Johnson
1869-1877: Ulysses S. Grant
1877-1881: Rutherford B. Hayes
1881: James A. Garfield
1881-1885: Chester A. Arthur
1885-1889: Grover Cleveland
1889-1893: Benjamin Harrison
1893-1897: Grover Cleveland
1897-1901: William McKinley
1901-1909: Theodore Roosevelt
1909-1913: William Howard Taft
1913-1921: Woodrow Wilson
1921-1923: Warren G. Harding
1923-1929: Calvin Coolidge
1929-1933: Herbert Hoover
1933-1945: Franklin D. Roosevelt
1945-1953: Harry S. Truman
1953-1961: Dwight D. Eisenhower
1961-1963: John F. Kennedy
1963-1969: Lyndon B. Johnson
1969-1974: Richard Nixon
1974-1977: Gerald Ford
1977-1981: Jimmy Carter
1981-1989: Ronald Reagan
1989-1993: George H. W. Bush
1993-2001: Bill Clinton
2001-2009: George W. Bush
2009-2017: Barack Obama
2017-2021: Donald Trump
2021-present: Joe Biden

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* Expert in international relations, such as foreign policy, international trade, domestic security, international security, developing nations, and domestic security, intelligence, and military.

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