Compare presidential eras through time. How does the modern presidency today differ from the modern presidency under Franklin D. Roosevelt? How has the presidency changed compared to the era of the traditional presidency? What does it mean for expectations of the president these days?

What will be an ideal response?

The modern presidency today is much stronger than the office the founders envisioned. Still, compared to the modern presidency under Roosevelt and his successors, the modern presidency today is more closely checked by the media and by Congress. The era of the modern presidency was the era when the power of the presidency was at its highest. Responding to the crisis of the Great Depression and World War II, Roosevelt expanded the scope of the federal government but also led citizens to expect the president to play an active and a successful role in the economy and in the welfare of the country. The modern presidency today suffers in comparison because presidents are more tightly checked, yet citizens still expect them to achieve as much as presidents did in earlier eras of the modern presidency. Strong answers may connect this issue to the double expectations gap.