Essay - During the Cold War, the President of the United States...

During the Cold War, ***** president of the United States was often referred to as the "leader of ***** free world." This connotes an image ***** someone with ***** unsurpassed amount of power and responsibility. From 1861 ***** 1969, the role of President ***** ***** United States progressed from being that of the leader ***** a moderately powerful, factious republic to ***** one who was almost singularly responsible for the defense of most of the world's population against Communist tyranny. To understand this evolution requires an broader inquiry into the nature of these leaders *****d the constantly changing polity that *****y were elected to represent.

***** Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt bear the distinction ***** having lead the country in***** its largest conflicts dur*****g this time frame, which makes them among the most intriguing to historians. Although McKinley, Lyndon Johnson and Truman were also 'war*****' Presidents, *****ir respective conflicts were more controversial and had a lesser *****ing on geo-political affairs. It is difficult to see Lincoln outside the c*****text of the Civil War, but h***** ********** played a key role in the preservation of the country independent of the military's exploits on the battlefield.

Like the Founding Fa*****rs, ***** acted as statesman and ***** in a time of crisis when the meaning of the nation's fundamental law was called into question. The framers intended the Constitution as a perm*****nent instrument of government for the American people. Lincoln's historic responsibility, as he believed, w***** to perpetuate the institutions of ***** Founding as expressed in the organic law. (Belz, Pg. 1997)

***** Lincoln had been a Congressman during ***** Mexican-American war, he had openly questioned James K. Polk's annexation of parts of Mexico, arguing that ***** was not authorized to take such liberties as they were technically the responsibility ***** the legislature. As a result, it was his explic***** intention during ***** Presidency to take all military actions with the express consent of the *****. Incident*****y, many of the hawks dominating the legislature at th***** time were more militaristic than the President, something that was ***** to change until the end ***** reconstruction. ***** ***** lead to Johnson's impeachment by the end of the decade as the Republican Party thought him too sympathetic to southern interests.

Grant, like Truman and Eisenhower, w***** a ********** hero ***** ***** was ill-equipt to handle the role of Chief Executive. With the military occupation ***** ***** American South, the political apparatus of the ***** States was primed for rampant corruption. There main dilemma ***** over how the South should be re-integrated into the United States ********** Congressional *****s wished to limit the influence of Democrats and knew that if ********** states were allowed au*****nomy, the newfound *****doms ***** the black population would all ***** evaporate. The federal government also faced myriad claims from veterans of the war and the administration of their benefits opened the ***** up to more opportunities for corrupt civil service administra*****rs to profit.

***** ***** of the 'Gilt Age:' Hayes,