This chapter examines the creation of the U.S. presidency under Article II, arguing that the Executive Vesting Clause grants a limited power to execute laws, not a broad reservoir of executive authority. Unlike Article I’s enumerated legislative powers, Article II’s vesting of “the executive Power” omits “herein granted,” prompting debates over its scope. The chapter explores the Constitutional Convention’s intent and influences like Locke and Blackstone and contends that Article II’s opening grant primarily assigns the President the duty to execute Congress’s laws, with other powers – such as the commander-in-chief power or treatymaking – explicitly enumerated. It critiques expansive views, like Theodore Roosevelt’s stewardship theory, as deviations from the original, formalist design, which sought an energetic executive while ensuring the presidency would not devolve into monarchy. The chapter clarifies that the “unitary executive” debate concerns the scope, not unity, of presidential power, emphasizing that the Constitution cabins executive authority so that such authority can be safely entrusted to a single chief magistrate.