Presidential Powers, Part 2 | America's Written Constitution with Akhil Reed Amar

Article II gave the president powers no English king held, including one Lincoln used to suspend habeas corpus. Akhil Reed Amar explains the textual basis and the two checks that made it tolerable. This lecture measures the presidency against the two offices the framers knew: a state governorship it far outstripped, and a monarchy it deliberately fell short of. Amar starts with the veto, which makes the president effectively a third chamber, and the salary guarantee that Congress can neither raise nor cut, then turns to the Vesting Clause. Article I grants powers "herein granted"; Article II does not, which is the textual root of a residual executive power covering removal of cabinet officers, secret treaty negotiation, repelling invasion, and Lincoln's suspension of the writ before Congress could reconvene. Each of those, Amar notes, was ratified after the fact by Congress or the Senate, from the Louisiana Purchase onward. He then covers command of the army but not the state militias, the pardon power and its national security logic, and impeachment as the peaceful alternative to beheading a Charles I. The lecture closes on the "King Andrew the First" cartoon and what Jackson's presidency reveals about a Constitution that was democratic, pro-slavery, and built for national security at once. Chapters: 00:00 The veto as a third chamber 01:43 Salary independence from Congress 05:57 The Vesting Clause and residual power 08:00 Lincoln, habeas corpus, and Fort Sumter 12:10 Commander in chief, and the militia check 13:16 Why the pardon power is unilateral 16:53 Elections and impeachment as the real checks 19:25 Who presides at an impeachment trial 20:56 King Andrew the First Learning objectives: After watching, you'll be able to: - Explain how the veto and a fixed salary secure presidential independence - Distinguish the Article II Vesting Clause from the Article I grant of enumerated powers - Trace how unilateral executive acts were later ratified by Congress or the Senate - Compare presidential powers with those of a state governor and an English monarch - Interpret the "King Andrew the First" cartoon as a claim about the antebellum presidency 📺 Watch the full playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCq6-l8oFuvk 🎓 Enroll on Coursera for assessments and a certificate: https://www.coursera.org/learn/written-constitution 🌐 Explore more learning opportunities on Yale Online: https://online.yale.edu/courses/americas-written-constitution