Leadership and Constitutionality In Times of War Essay -- War Governme

Leadership and Constitutionality In Times of War In times of crisis, nations ensure to leaders who will protect them from the dangers they fear. The United States has seen multiple wars and lived them out under multiple leaders, each of which had varying policies for protecting the American citizens from enemies, both foreign and domestic. at present we find ourselves asking how our present leader will protect the American citizens from outside terrorists, and wondering how previous leaders would react to the current situation. Some of the great and most revered presidents found themselves in the same situation we find ourselves today where to draw the line between constitutionality and the safety of the American public. A imminent look at three past presidents offers three different experiences with wartime policy and the preservation of civil rights in times of national emergency.The Father who Never Forgot capital of Wisconsins Wartime PolicyIt would be impossible to say t hat James capital of Wisconsin ever forgot his writings of 1787. The Constitution would be forever engraved on his mind, the monitor of a shared vision between leaders who held history in the palms of their hands and shaped it into a fair and just Republic. Madison, as author of the memorandum defining that very vision, shaped his own life and political policy to constantly mirror that vision. Of all thepresidents of the United States, Madison was most likely the unrivaled who remained most loyal to the Constitution. Even in times of war, when other presidents would take further executive measures (as they were allowed,) Madison was reluctant to jeopardize his citizens civil rights. Madisons wartime policy clearly reflects a leader dedicated to the Constitution and its pres... ... co-founders so carefully laid out in the document they produced that sweltering pass of 1787. Works CitedAdams, John. The American President. Accessed February 27, 2003 available from http//www.americ anpresident.org/presbios/presbios.htm.LaFeber, Walter. The American Age U.S. Foreign Policy at Home and Abroad, 1750-Present. New York W.W. Norton and Co., Inc., 1994.Madison, James. The American President. Accessed February 27, 2003 available from http//www.americanpresident.org/presbios/presbios.htm.Rehnquist, Chief Justice William A. accomplished Liberty in Wartime Remarks of SupremeCourt Chief Justice William A. Rehnquist at the Directors Forum, WoodrowWilson International Center for Scholars, November 17, 1999. speech onlineAccessed February 27, 2003 available fromhttp//www.totse.com/en/politics/political_spew/rant1.html.