Thomas Jefferson and executive power

by Jeremy D. Bailey

"Citizens and scholars are again confronted with a question presented by necessity and the law: Because no law can anticipate every contingency, how can any set of laws remain fundamental and practical? How can discretion be made compatible with democratic consent? Before he became president, Thomas Jefferson had devoted twenty-five years to the problem. By revisiting Jefferson's understanding of executive power, we better understand Jefferson's presidency and more fully trace the development of modern executive power."--Jacket.