Presidential Term Limits in American History

"Since 1951, and the passage of the Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution, presidents have been prevented from serving more than two terms in office. The 'two term tradition,' established by George Washington and followed by all presidents until Franklin Roosevelt, became law when Republicans in Congress, smarting from FDR's four elections, amended the Constitution to "punish" FDR, and boost congressional power that had diminished in the aftermath of both the Great Depression and World War II. Korzi (Towson Univ.) does an excellent job of telling the tale of how term limits on presidents came about and the implications for democratic government. The book is largely historical in scope, and Korzi does a fine job of highlighting the main arguments surrounding presidential tenure. He is especially informative when dealing with FDR's decision to seek a fourth term (even though some close to the president believed his health problems would keep him from serving a full term) and the political implications of second-term presidents' being weak 'lame ducks.' Well written and compellingly argued, this important book makes a significant contribution to understanding presidential politics."--Choice

“In a well-researched and exhaustive study of presidential term limits, Michael J. Korzi sheds new light on an area of the presidency that has all too often been overlooked. Presidential Term Limits not only provides an easily accessible history of presidential tenure debate in American history, but also offers rich analysis of the subject matter. Korzi does a wonderful job providing the origins, history, and assessment of the 22nd amendment. In sum, Korzi has written a valuable and thoughtful book on a key aspect of the presidency. His work is easily adaptable to a variety of courses and will become the standard source on presidential term limits for years to come.”—Congress & the Presidency