2302+M2+Week+4

Week Four
 * GOVT 2302

The History and Design of the Executive Branch**

The executive branch is, in a sense, the heart of government. The executive controls the sword in society and is the institution that compels people to follow the law and pay taxes. A government cannot effectively govern if it does not have compulsory power. That said, the executive is clearly the most dangerous branch because it has the muscle to coerce people to succumb to the arbitrary will of a monarch, or autocrat. This is true if there are no external limits placed on the executive, limits that place the executive under the law in the same sense that the general population is beneath the law.

The story of Anglo-American government is in many ways the story of a system of government which allows for the existence of an effective executive, but places limits on its power such that people still have the ability to impact public policy -- through the legislature -- and receive fair hearings -- through the judiciary.

In the readings below I want you to get comfortable with the problems associated with the Stuart monarchs, who claimed their power was based on the dvine right of kings and were not subject to either the law or parliament. In many ways, the American system of government is designed to avoid the conflict associated with Charles 1st. His execution is a brutal example of how the British Parliament asserted control over government. The Declaration of Rights (also called the British or English Bill of Rights) lists the limits that British monarchs (William and Mary at least) must accept before they can assend to the throne. Note the similarities between the rights stated in the English Bill of Rights and the grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence. You can easily see that the American Constitutional design was heavily influenced by the British design. Pay close attention to these similarities.

I want you to carefully read through the constitutional design of the president (in Article 2 of the U.S. Constitution) and the governor (in Article 4 of the Texas Constitution). The former is designed to me much stronger than the later.

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 * Readings:**

- British History: [|The Stuarts]. (Use the "choose an option" links on top of the page to look at each of the Stuart Kings) - [|Charles the First]. - [|The Declaration of Rights]. - Grievances in the [|Declaration of Independence](see summary below) - [|George Washington]. - [|Article 2 of the U.S. Constitution](See Below) - ThisNation: [|The Executive Branch]. - Wikipedia: [|President of the United States]. - Answers.com: [|President of the United States]. - [|Article 4 of the Texas Constitution] - [|Edmund Davis]. - Handbook of Texas Online: [|Texas Governor's Office]. - Texas Politics: [|The Executive Branch].


 * Assignments:**

Internet Students: I want you to write three 200 word answers to the following:

1 - Read the information about the Stuart kings and detail how they might have led people to seek to limit the influence of the monarchy. What types of limits were place on his power? 2 - Which grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence focused on efforts of the king to minimize colonial executive power? What does this tell us about the problems posed by monarchic power? 3 - Contrast the constitutional design of the U.S. President and the Texas Governor.

Due April 12th email your answers to me.