Development of the American Presidency

The Development of the American Presidency provides students with a full examination of the historical development of the American presidency.

Organized by the topics and concepts relevant to political science, this textbook keeps the constitutional origins and political development of the presidency as its central focus. Through comprehensive and in-depth coverage, Richard J. Ellis looks at how the presidency has evolved in relation to the public, to Congress, to the executive branch, and to the law, showing how different aspects of the presidency have followed distinct trajectories of change. Each chapter promotes active learning for students, beginning with an illustrative puzzle that brings to life a central concept. A wealth of photos, figures, and tables allow for the visual presentation of concepts. In this new edition, the author incorporates new research into each chapter, takes the full measure of the Biden presidency, grapples with what the second Trump presidency means for the institution, and highlights how the functioning of the constitutional system of checks and balances depends on assumptions of presidential self-restraint.

Analyzing how history has shaped the modern institution, this book helps undergraduate political science students gain a rich, nuanced understanding of the American presidency.

Richard J. Ellis is the Mark O. Hatfield Professor of Politics, Policy, Law, and Ethics at Willamette University. He has been awarded Oregon Teacher of the Year from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, as well as numerous other awards for both scholarship and teaching. He is the author or editor of many books, including Lincoln’s Last Card: The Emancipation Proclamation as a Case of Command; Old Tip vs. The Sly Fox: The 1840 Election and the Making of a Partisan Nation; Presidential Travel: The Journey from George Washington to George W. Bush; Judging Executive Power: Sixteen Supreme Court Cases That Have Shaped the American Presidency; Debating the Presidency: Conflicting Perspectives on the American Executive; and Historian in Chief: How Presidents Interpret the Past to Shape the Future.