President Washington's First Barbary War

195 Words1 Pages
As far back as 1789, Congress set the stage for the president to act unilaterally by giving President Washington the ability to fire members of his cabinet. President Washington also used other tools available such as memoranda, executive orders and vetoes (35). President Thomas Jefferson pushed the boundaries of power when he acted alone ordering the Louisiana Purchase. President Jefferson also put the country in the First Barbary War, which was an undeclared war. This has become a trend throughout U.S. history with only five of the two hundred plus foreign conflicts that involved military actions being considered declared wars. How much power the president has to act alone in matters involving national security has been an ongoing topic of