"Both Lincoln and Roosevelt undertook acts they knew to be beyond the Constitution. Both did so in times of transcendent crisis when the life of the nation seemed truly at stake. Both acted, knowingly or not, on Locke’s doctrine of emergency prerogative, trusting that Congress would eventually approve their actions."Which of the following statements best summarizes the author’s argument?1. When presidents have attempted to take more power, Congress has constrained them2. Presidents have enhanced the power of the presidency through the creation of new executive agencies3. Presidents have enhanced their constitutional powers beyond what is expressed in the Constitution in order to deal with major crises4. Presidents have always respected the separation of powers and have only taken more power when Congress approved

Abraham Lincoln was the US president during the Civil War (1861-1865). A very hard and complex time, where the absolute imperative of winning the war overruns other concerns, yet democractic governance demands taking and ceding, keeping balances. In such a situation, it should not be surprising that the leader of a nation in war does things that actually or apparently exceed his powers. On his side, FDR led the nation in deeply troubled times; first, he had to fight the effects of the Great Depression and stimulate recovery; and later , he led the country to play a pivotal role in WWII, the most destructive and horrible of wars.