Transcript War Making Power: The Executive and the Legislative Branches

War Making Power: The Executive
and the Legislative Branches
Constitution
• Read Articles I and II and find passages that
refer to war making
Questions: Part I
• How were the actions taken by President Roosevelt similar to
and different from those taken by President Johnson?
• How were the actions taken by Congress in 1941 similar to
and different from the actions taken by Congress in 1964?
• In what ways was the bombing of Pearl Harbor similar to and
different from the events in the Gulf of Tonkin?
• Was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution an implied declaration of
war, or was it something different?
• What Constitutional issues arise as a result of the events of
1964?
• What might have happened if the Congress had not passed
the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?
• How have the nature of war and the role of the United States
in the world changed since World War II?
War Powers Act Questions
• Is the War Powers Act consistent with the
Constitution?
• Why do you think President Nixon vetoed the
act? (Congress subsequently overturned his
veto)
Iraq War
• Is the Iraq War Resolution consistent with the Constitution?
• Is the Iraq War Resolution consistent with the War Powers
Act?
• What might have happened if the Congress had not passed
the Iraq War Resolution?
• What recourse is left to Congress should it decide that the
war in Iraq should be brought to an end?
• What constitutional and political challenges would
Congress face should it decide to make use of its “power of
the purse”?
• How have the nature of war and the role of the United
States changed since Vietnam?
Final Questions
• Is the war-making power balanced between the
executive and legislative branches of government?
• If not, which branch possesses the greater power?
• Should it be more balanced?
• Evaluation
• Defend or reject the following statements:
The United States needs to develop a new and betterbalanced way of deciding whether to make war.