1、 https:/crsreports.congress.gov November 13, 2019Presidential Directives: An IntroductionPresidential directives, such as proclamations and executive orders, are a tool used by Presidents to announce official policy and make declarations in their roles as leader of the executive branch, commander in
2、 chief of the Armed Forces, and head of state. Presidents have used directives throughout American history for a wide variety of purposes, but they have taken on a more central policy role in recent Administrations. Background In 1789, during the first months of government under the new Constitution
3、, President Washington issued both the first presidential proclamation, declaring a national day of Thanksgiving in November 1789, and the first precursor of the modern executive order. In that directive, Washington ordered executive branch officers who had also served under the Articles of Confeder
4、ation to report to the new President on the ongoing affairs of the government and to explain their duties. Since the Administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, presidential directives have expanded in both form and function. Increasing use of executive orders and the development of national securi
