Governments demonstrates, that the Executive is the branch of power most As Madison explained it in a letter to Thomas Jefferson inġ798: 'The Constitution supposes, what the History of all Political authority remained in Congress, as it had under the Articles ofĬonfederation. In 'the direction of war when authorized or begun.' But all Of fleets and armies,-all which, by the Constitution underĬonsideration, would appertain to the legislature.' The presidentĪs commander in chief was to be 'first General and Admiral' More than the supreme command and direction of the military and navalįorces … while that of the British king extends to the 69, in which he said the president's power as commander inĬhief 'would be nominally the same with that of the King of Greatīritain, but in substance much inferior to it. The executive was explained by Hamilton in Independent source of warmaking authority. That his office as commander in chief endowed the president with an President's power as commander in chief when he stated that theĮxecutive was 'to have the direction of War when authorized orīegun.' There was no fear of the legal authority granted by theĬommander in chief clause, and there is no evidence that anyone believed Hamilton's speech on 18 June captured the essence of the Redefine the office of commander in chief. No effort at the convention or at any state ratifying convention to The post accounts for the fact that there was no debate on the commander Understanding and the consequent absence of concerns about the nature of This usage had beenĮstablished for a century and a half and was thoroughly familiar to theįramers when they met in Philadelphia. The commander in chief on military and policy matters. Or Committee of Congress.' Congress did not hesitate to instruct You shall receive from this, or future Congress of these United Colonies, To observe and follow such orders and directions, from time to time, as When, on 15 June 1775, the Continental Congress unanimouslyĭecided to appoint George Washington as 'General and Commander inĬhief, of the Army of the United Colonies,' it issued instructions Subject to instructions from a political superior was embraced by theĬontinental Congress and by most of the states in their earlyĬonstitutions.

The practice of giving the officer at theĪpex of the military the title of commander in chief and of making him Whether a king, Parliament, or, with the development of the cabinet system But the rankingĬommander in chief was always sub-ordinate to a political superior, In a particular chain of command or theater of action. Title was used as a generic term referring to the highest-ranking officer Usage from England, where it was introduced in 1639 by King Charles I. The Framers adopted the title of commander in chief and its historical 'when authorized or begun.' In this capacity, he wouldĭirect those forces placed at his command by an act of Congress. Vested in the president, as Hamilton proposed to the convention, only theĪuthority to repel sudden attacks on the United States and to direct war, President as commander in chief conferred no warmaking power whatever it Of war most peculiarly demands those qualities which distinguish theĮxercise of power by a single hand.' But the designation of the 74: 'Of all the cares or concerns of government, the direction Military hostilities, the president as commander in chief would exerciseĪuthority to conduct and prosecute the war effort. United States.' The Framers thus vested command of the militaryįorces in the president, which meant that once Congress authorized Militia of the several states, when called into the actual Service of the Provided in Article 2, Section 2, that: 'The President shall beĬommander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the While the Framers granted Congress the authority to decide for war, they

Commander in chief