POL 1101: American Government
Spring 2020
Third Paper
Turnitin
About three (3) pages (double-spaced, 12-pt Times New Roman)
Presidential power gets a lot of attention from the public, media and academics alike. The 20th Century saw a substantial rise not only in the size/importance/power of the federal government, but also in the Presidency itself versus the other two branches of government (especially Congress). This has occurred through a variety of avenues, including executive orders.
Assignment: Find two executive orders issued since the 1940s (other than the following major ones we addressed in class: Japanese internment, desegregation of the military, enhanced interrogation at Guantanamo Bay). It’s entirely up to you whether they are old or recent, but you should choose one by a Republican and one by a Democratic president. For both Executive Orders:
1. Identify what the Executive Order did
2. Describe why the President appeared to use an Executive Order
3. Mention if there any bad reaction from Congress and/or the Courts
4. Do you think it is appropriate for the President to have done what they did?