The Basic Principles of the American Constitution
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United States, whose office they had established near the end of the Convention, would be under the law—not a law unto himself. The President’s chief responsibility, in fact, is to enforce and uphold the law, and
to ‘‘take care that the laws be faithfully executed.’’ Whereas the members
of Congress and the Federal Judiciary, and other Federal and State officials, all take an oath ‘‘to support this Constitution’’ (Article VI, Clause 3),
the President—and the President alone—swears on the Bible (or affirms)
that he will ‘‘preserve, protect and defend the Constitution’’ (Article II,
Section 1, Clause 8).
Thus in the final analysis the nation looks to the President as the person ultimately responsible for upholding the rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution. By making him Commander-in-Chief of
the armed forces and by giving him the power to supervise the heads of
the various departments of the executive branch, the Constitution also
confers upon the President the means by which he may fulfill his law enforcement responsibilities.
By and large, America has enjoyed rule of law, not of men. No President of the United States has ever tried to make himself dictator or to extend his term of office unlawfully. Martial law—that is, a suspension of
the law and the administration of justice by military authorities in times
of war, rebellion, and disorder—has never been declared nationwide. No
party or faction has ever seized control of the Federal government by
force or violence. The Constitution of the United States has never been
suspe