A History of the Modern American Presidency

A History of the Modern American Presidency guides students on a unique historical and sociocultural journey to explore and analyze the role and development of this important American phenomenon.

Rather than focusing on biographies of individuals, this book reorders presidential periods by looking at economic trends, technological changes, and the intersection between local movements and national institutions to show the long, nuanced history of and debate over the place of the president in American political life. It shifts focus away from elite and top-down politics by examining social movements, the relationship between citizens and interest groups, domestic and international policy, governing institutions, and the role of the United States in the world. It reflects how political historians have explored a more expansive sense of the spheres in which politics happen and translates this recent academic scholarship for an undergraduate audience. Important themes explored include the impact of the media, the political and legal debate over executive power , the role of the administrative state, and the impact of race, gender, and class.

A History of the Modern American Presidency will be essential reading for students studying the American presidency, American political history and modern American history in general.