presidential overview

By Joseph Brimer

president’s Day is more than an extra day out of the office, or a time to get deep discounts from stores. It’s a day to reflect on our history and celebrate those who’ve paved the way forward. While there have been a plethora of controversial figures and moments in presidential history, there’s also been defining moments when history in our country evolved. A good example of this is the role of the vice-president.

For most of U.S. history, the vice-president position has largely been viewed as a insignificant role. In fact, the first few vice-presidents were the runner ups in the presidential election. Not a great way for the start of a relationship between the two most powerful positions in our government. George Washington never invited John Adams to any of his cabinet meetings and inadvertently created the standard of such a cold relationship.

Once a distant figure in government, the vicepresident is now a top advisor to the president. It’s only been recently (the last two decades) that the vice-president role has been redefined. Beyond presiding over senate hearings, the vice-president is a member of the presidential cabinet as well as several councils. At the start of the 21st century the vice-president was even making policy decisions. So while we celebrate President’s Day this year and all that’s been accomplished, consider that while the President’s role has drastically changed, so has the role of those around them.