Powers of the President of the United States The amount of military detail handled personally by the President in wartime has varied dramatically. George Washington, the first U.S. president, firmly established military subordination under civilian authority. In 1794, Washington used his constitutional powers to assemble 12,000 militia to quell the Whiskey Rebellion—a conflict in western Pennsylvania involving armed farmers and distillers who refused to pay excise tax on spirits. According to historian Joseph Ellis, this was the "first and only time a sitting American president led troops in the field", though James Madison briefly took control of artillery units in defense of Washington D.C. during the War of
African-American candidates for President of the United States candidates have increased their support from Chisholm winning 430,000 primary votes to Obama being elected president with more than 69 million. Various commentators have suggested a president could be recognized as the "first black president of the United States" for their contributions to the well-being of African Americans. Toni Morrison labeled Democrat Bill Clinton the first black president of the United States. Morrison suggested that Clinton was "blacker than any actual black person who could ever be elected in our children's lifetime." Author and professor Angela Dillard stated such claims constituted a "silly and defeatist notion" that separated the black