Remind your students that primary sources are an essential part of today's information rich age. With Michael Nelson’s fourth edition of The Evolving Presidency, more than 50 documents help to anchor the ever-changing presidency in historical context. Seeing how presidents shape U.S. history through both word and deed, students encounter a range of documents- from speeches and debates to letters and landmark Supreme Court decisions. Every selection has its own headnote that is carefully crafted to convey the significance of the document during its own time and its lasting effects on the office of the presidency.

Documents new to this edition:
• Memo from Walter F. Mondale to Jimmy Carter Proposing the Modern Vice Presidency (1976)
• Bush v. Gore (2000)
• Barack Obama’s Campaign Speech on Race in America (2008)
• Barack Obama’s Health Care Address (2009)

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Preface: A User’s Guide to The Evolving Presidency
1. The Constitution (1787)
The presidency, the main innovation of the Constitutional Convention, is created and its structure and powers outlined.
2. Letters of Cato, No. 4 (1787)
An Anti-Federalist opponent of the proposed Constitution warns against the dangers of presidential power.
3. The Federalist Papers, Nos. 69–73 (1788)
A Federalist supporter of the proposed Constitution defends the republican character of the presidency as an energetic office.
4. George Washington’s First Inaugural Address (1789)
Washington establishes the model for inaugural addresses.
5. James Madison’s Defense of the President’s Removal Power (1789)
Madison persuades Congress that the presidency should be chief executive of the bureaucracy.
6. The Pacificus-Helvidius Letters (1793)
Alexander Hamilton and James Madison debate the extent of the president's constitutional power in foreign affairs.
7. George Washington’s Farewell Address (1796)
Washington marks his retirement from the presidency and looks ahead to the future of the nation.
8. Thomas Jefferson’s First Inaugural Address (1801)
Despite the contentious way the outcome of the 1800 election is resolved, it marks the first peaceful transfer of power from one party to another.
9. Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to the Vermont Legislature (1807)
Jefferson establishes the two-term tradition for presidents.
10. The Monroe Doctrine (1823)
The primacy of the president in foreign policy-making is asserted at a time when the presidency was otherwise weak.
11. The Tennessee General Assembly’s Protest against the Caucus System (1823)
The state is set for the demise of the congressional caucus-centered presidential nominating process.
12. Andrew Jackson’s First Message to Congress (1829)
The first outsider president grounds his authority in "the will of the majority."
13. Andrew Jackson’s Veto of the Bank Bill (1832)
Jackson activates the veto as a strong and effective power of the presidency.
14. Abraham Lincoln’s Letter to Albert G. Hodges (1864)
Lincoln defends his use of prerogative power during the Civil War.
15. The Gettysburg Address (1863)
Lincoln, in an effort to give meaning to the war, invokes the Declaration of Independence's promise of equality and self-government.
16. Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address (1865)
Lincoln invokes God's judgment on both sides in the Civil War as the basis for seeking national reconciliation.
17. Ex Parte Milligan (1866)
The Supreme Court proves more willing to curb presidential power after war than during one.
18. Articles of Impeachment against Andrew Johnson (1868)
The first president to be impeached is charged with abusing the removal power and defaming Congress through intemperate rhetoric.
19. The Pendleton Act (1883)
In the wake of the presidential assassination, Congress acts to replace the spoils system with a merit-based civil service.
20. Theodore Roosevelt’s and William Howard Taft’s Theories of Presidential Power (1913, 1916)
Two former presidents debate the proper scope of presidential power and leadership.
21. Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points (1918)
Wilson attempts to endow the Allied victory in World War I with a moral purpose.
22. The Teapot Dome Resolution (1924)
The nexus between congressional investigation and the presidential scandal is forged.
23. Myers v. United States (1926)
The Supreme Court broadly interprets the president's constitutional power to remove executive branch officials.
24. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address (1933)
FDR reassures a desperate nation and asks Congress for "broad executive power to wage war against the emergency" of economic depression.
25. Humphrey’s Executor v. United States (1935)
The Supreme Court restricts the president's removal power.
26. United States v. Curtiss-Wright Export Corp. (1936)
The Supreme Court declares that the president is the nation's "sole organ in the field of international relations."
27. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Court-Packing” Address (1937)
FDR overreaches be attacking the Supreme Court and, in the process, sparks the creation of the "conservative coalition" in Congress.
28. Report of the Brownlow Committee (1937)
The committee's recommendations lay the foundation for the modern White House staff.
29. Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952)
Justice Hugo L. Black's opinion of the Court and Justice Robert H. Jackson's concurring opinion take different approaches to restraining presidential power.
30. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Little Rock Executive Order (1957)
Eisenhower uses the president's "executive" and "take care" powers to enforce the integration of an Arkansas high school.
31. John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address (1961)
The young president calls on the nation to "support any friend, oppose any foe" in the cold war.
32. The Cuban Missile Crisis: John F. Kennedy’s Letter to Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev (1962)
Crisis decision making resolves the most dangerous international confrontation in history.
33. John F. Kennedy’s Civil Rights Address (1963)
In an effort to satisfy national and international concerns for racial justice, Kennedy urges the enactment of major civil rights legislation.
34. Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Great Society” Speech (1964)
Johnson rouses public support for his ambitious domestic agenda.
35. Lyndon B. Johnson’s Gulf of Tonkin Message (1964)
Congress writes a blank check to the president to wage war in Vietnam.
36. Richard Nixon’s China Trip Announcement (1971)
The ultimate anticommunist uses secret diplomacy to open a relationship with the People's Republic of China.
37. The McGovern-Fraser Commission Report (1971)
The modern presidential nominating process takes shape.
38. The War Powers Resolution (1973)
Congress tries to reclaim the war power from the president.
39. Proposed Articles of Impeachment against Richard Nixon (1974)
The Watergate crisis brings down the president and his closest advisors.
40. United States v. Nixon (1974)
The Supreme Court acknowledges but limits executive privilege.
41. Gerald R. Ford’s Pardon of Richard Nixon (1974)
Ford jeopardizes his political standing by exercising the president's only unchecked constitutional power on behalf of his predecessor.
42. Walter F. Mondale’s Memo to Jimmy Carter on the Role of the Vice President (1976)
Mondale persuades Carter to define and expand the role of the vice president in ways that have endured ever since.
43. Jimmy Carter’s “Crisis of Confidence” Speech (1979)
A president elected by praising the people blames them for the problems of his administration.
44. Ronald Reagan’s First Inaugural Address (1981)
Reagan ushers in an era by declaring that "government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem."
45. Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Chadha (1983)
The Supreme Court strikes down the legislative veto.
46. Bill Clinton’s Third State of the Union Address (1996)
Clinton advocates an approach to governing that rises above traditional liberalism and conservatism.
47. Clinton v. City of New York (1998)
The Supreme Court declares the line-item veto unconstitutional.
48. Articles of Impeachment against Bill Clinton (1998)
Clinton is impeached by the House and acquitted by the Senate for actions stemming from his sexual relationship with a White House intern.
49. Bush v. Gore (2000)
A bitterly close presidential election is decided by a bitterly divided Supreme Court.
50. George W. Bush’s War on Terrorism Address (2001)
In response to the September 11 attacks, Bush commits his administration to fighting international terrorism.
51. The Bush Doctrine (2002)
In preparation for war against Iraq, Bush announces a new approach to foreign policy.
52. George W. Bush’s Signing Statement for the Defense Supplemental Appropriations Act (2005)
Bush's signing statements manifest the "unitary executive" theory, which extends the boundaries of presidential power.
53. Hamdan v. Rumsfeld (2006)
An adverse ruling from the Supreme Court leads Bush to ask Congress for legislation authorizing military tribunals to try suspected non-uniformed enemy combatants in the war on terrorism.
54. Barack Obama’s Campaign Speech on Race in America (2008)
While campaigning for the presidency, Obama addresses the troubling issue of race in American life.
55. Barack Obama’s Health Care Address (2009)
In an effort to capture public support for his health care reform initiative, Obama explains and defends his proposal in a speech to Congress and the nation
Topical Guide to the Documents

The strength of this text lies in the well-edited documents and great introductions which give historical context. I had been waiting for this text to come along, and I have never found another book quite like this one.

The Evolving Presidency is unique in being based on primary source materials. I find it essential to have such a resource for my students. I can not imagine choosing not to adopt the new edition.

I have used this book for many years. I love it, and my students usually do as well. I believe the strengths of the book are the selections for the readings; they strike me as truly the presidency’s most significant documents. The editor’s head notes are also very informative.

Michael Nelson is the Fulmer Professor of Political Science at Rhodes College and a Senior Fellow of the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. His recent books include: The Presidency and the Political System, 9th Ed., The American Presidency: Origins and Development, 1776-2011, 6th Ed. (with Sidney M. Milkis); and The Elections of 2008. More than fifty of his articles have been reprinted in anthologies of political science, history, music, and English composition, including articles on subjects as varied as baseball, C. S. Lewis, and Frank Sinatra.