1. Why did the framers create a single executive rather than a plural executive, and what concerns did they address?

1. What are the constitutional qualifications for the presidency and the major powers granted in Article II?

1. How do formal and informal powers differ, and what roles do they play in achieving presidential policy goals?

1. How does the president function as chief legislator despite lacking the power to introduce bills directly?

2. What methods does the president use to persuade Congress to pass legislation?

1. What is the presidential veto and how does it function as both a formal power and a bargaining tool?

2. Under what circumstances do veto usage rates increase, and how often does Congress successfully override a presidential veto?

3. What is a pocket veto and how does it differ from a regular veto?

1. What is a line-item veto and why did the Supreme Court strike down the 1996 law granting it to the president?

1. What is the distinction between the president's power as Commander in Chief and Congress's power to declare war?

2. How has the concept of 'imminent defense' expanded presidential war powers beyond the framers' original intent?

1. What is the difference between a treaty and an executive agreement, and what advantages do executive agreements provide?

2. How did President Kennedy use executive agreements during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

1. How did Theodore Roosevelt use executive power and 'gunboat diplomacy' to acquire the Panama Canal Zone?

2. What approach did President Jimmy Carter use to persuade Congress to return the Canal Zone to Panama, and why did he consider this action morally important?

1. What are executive orders and what are the limits on the president's authority to issue them?

2. What is a signing statement and why do critics argue it violates the lawmaking design?

3. What is executive privilege and what did the Supreme Court decide about its limits in U.S. v. Nixon?

1. What types of officials does the president appoint, and what role does Article II, Section 2 play in defining this power?

1. What is the constitutional role of the vice president and how has the position's influence varied among different administrations?

1. What are the primary responsibilities of Cabinet secretaries and how do modern presidents approach Cabinet appointments?

2. What is the role of the State Department and Defense Department in implementing presidential foreign and military policy?

3. What are federal agencies and how do they carry out presidential policy goals?

1. What is the Executive Office of the President and what agencies does it include?

2. How does the White House staff differ from Cabinet secretaries in terms of loyalty and influence?

3. What are the key roles within the White House Office and why is the chief of staff position particularly influential?

1. How does the president's need to work with Congress create potential conflicts between the branches?

1. What specific constitutional checks limit presidential power, and what are inherent powers?

1. What is the Senate's role in confirming presidential appointees and how often does it reject Cabinet nominations?

2. What are recess appointments and why did the framers include this provision?

3. What factors led to the Senate rejecting John Tower's nomination as secretary of defense and Betsy DeVos's near-rejection as education secretary?

1. What is the president's power of removal and what limitations exist on this power?

2. How did the Supreme Court define the president's removal authority in relation to executive branch officials and regulatory agency heads?

1. How do the executive and judicial branches interact when courts review presidential actions?

2. Why are judicial appointments more contentious than Cabinet appointments, and what role does the Senate play in confirming judges?

1. What factors have shaped the modern presidency beyond the Constitution?

1. How did George Washington establish precedents that shaped the early presidency?

2. What was the 'imperial presidency' and how did historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. characterize it?

1. How did Andrew Jackson's personality and popularity expand presidential power, and what role did the veto play?

1. What extraordinary powers did Abraham Lincoln assume during the Civil War and how did he justify them?

1. How did Theodore Roosevelt's stewardship theory and Woodrow Wilson's international involvement expand presidential power?

1. How did Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs and wartime leadership fundamentally change the role of the presidency?

2. What was FDR's 'court packing' plan and what does it reveal about his view of presidential power?

3. How did the Twenty-second Amendment limit presidential power after FDR's four terms?

1. What was the Tonkin Gulf Resolution and how did it expand presidential war powers?

2. What are the key provisions of the War Powers Act and how does it attempt to balance presidential and congressional authority?

3. How did President Trump expand executive power through actions such as declaring a national emergency and ignoring congressional appropriations?

1. Why is communication with the citizenry essential for presidential success in a democracy?

1. What is the 'bully pulpit' and how did Theodore Roosevelt use it to influence public opinion and Congress?

2. How did Franklin D. Roosevelt use radio fireside chats to build support for New Deal legislation?

1. What is the constitutional purpose of the State of the Union address and how has its format evolved?

2. How did Woodrow Wilson's decision to deliver the State of the Union in person redefine the address as a political tool?

1. What is the role of the White House press secretary and how has the communications office evolved with changing media?

2. How did the George W. Bush administration manipulate the news process and what were the consequences?

1. How did President Obama use digital media and social platforms to communicate directly with the American people?

2. What strategies did Obama's team use to control his image and promote his policy agenda through photography and digital content?

3. How did President Trump's use of Twitter differ from traditional presidential communication norms?