1440 Explores

How the Presidency Became Too Powerful


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America's founders were so afraid of concentrated power that they spent three months designing Congress, but only three days on the presidency. They thought that was enough. It wasn't.

Today, one office controls 4 million federal employees, the world's most powerful military, and the ability to reshape the lives of every American ... all while the founders are, presumably, spinning in their graves.

So what happened? How does a job description that fits on half a page become the most powerful office on earth? And is there any way back?

Guest: HW Brands, historian and author of "American Patriarch: The Life of George Washington," professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist

Join the knowledge collective: https://www.join1440.com

Check out 1440's video deep-dives: https://youtube.com/@1440explores https://youtube.com/@1440originals

More resources: https://join1440.com/t/the-american-presidency

Credits:

A production of Rhyme Media for 1440 Media

Host: Sony Kassam

Producer: Nicolo Majnoni

Editor: Dan Bobkoff

Fact Checker: Alice Jones

Sound Designer: Jay Cowit

Executive Producers (1440): Sony Kassam and Drew Steigerwald

Executive Producer (Rhyme): Dan Bobkoff

About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed that helps curious people stay informed and inspired every day. We live in an age of limitless information but limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than truth. And the tools meant to expand knowledge now distort it.

Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/1440daily https://www.facebook.com/1440Daily/ https://www.tiktok.com/@1440daily


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1440 ExploresBy 1440 Media

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