Founding the American Presidency

A view of the minds of the founders of the American Constitution.

It brings together selections from the constitutional convention in Philadelphia as well as representative selections from the subsequent debates over ratification. Organized topically, the book focuses on those issues of executive power that most deeply concerned and often sharply divided the founders, including the electoral college and impeachment, the presidential term and re-eligibility, the veto power and war powers, the power of appointment and the power of pardon.

Pointed discussion questions are provided to provoke students to consider new perspectives on the presidency.