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U.S. Presidents

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Executive Order

What is an Executive Order? The U.S. Constitution does not directly define or give the president authority to issue presidential actions, which include executive orders, presidential memoranda and proclamations. Instead, this implied and accepted power derives from Article II of the Constitution, which states that as head of the executive branch and commander in chief […]

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HISTORY: Checks and Balances

Checks and Balances

Separation of Powers The idea that a just and fair government must divide power between various branches did not originate at the Constitutional Convention, but has deep philosophical and historical roots. In his analysis of the government of Ancient Rome, the Greek statesman and historian Polybius identified it as a “mixed” regime with three branches: […]

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Visitors leave the United States Capitol, the seat of the United States Congress and the legislative branch of the U.S. government, in Washington, D.C.

Three Branches of Government

Separation of Powers The Enlightenment philosopher Montesquieu coined the phrase “trias politica,” or separation of powers, in his influential 18th-century work “Spirit of the Laws.” His concept of a government divided into legislative, executive and judicial branches acting independently of each other inspired the framers of the U.S. Constitution, who vehemently opposed concentrating too much […]

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Veto

What Does Veto Mean? The word “veto” means “I forbid” in Latin. In the United States, Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution gives the president the authority to reject legislation that has been passed by both houses of Congress, though the word “veto” doesn’t actually appear in the Constitution. Congress can override a presidential […]

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10 of the Most Consequential Executive Orders and Proclamations

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10 of the Most Consequential Executive Orders and Proclamations in Presidential History

These directives, which carry the force of law, altered the course of history and changed the fabric of American life.

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Vice presidential candidate John Nance Garner stands at the back of a special campaign train with presidential candidate Franklin Delano Roosevelt during a stop in Topeka, Kansas.

Why FDR’s Own VP Ran Against Him

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s vice president was an anti-labor conservative who clashed with the president over federal spending and FDR’s decision to run for a third term.

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Mary Ball Washington

How George Washington’s Iron-Willed Single Mom Taught Him Honor

In the drama of her son’s life, Mary Ball Washington has been cast as a villain and a saint—or written out entirely. In reality, she was an independent woman at a time when few others were.

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Dreaming of a White (House) Christmas: 17 Photos

Christmas at the first residence has evolved from an understated, intimate affair in 1800 to an all-out media event.

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This Day in History


1792

White House cornerstone laid

Early U.S.
1789

First U.S. presidential election

U.S. Government and Politics
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