Vice President of the United States: Difference between revisions

==Constitutional roles==

Although delegates to the constitutional convention approved establishing the office, with both its executive and senatorial functions, not many understood the office, and so they gave the vice president few duties and little power.<ref name=VP-PS>{{cite web| title=Vice President of the United States (President of the Senate)| website=senate.gov| url=https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Vice_President.htm| publisher=Secretary of the Senate| location=Washington, D.C.| access-date=July 28, 2018| archive-date=November 15, 2002| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021115191818/https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Vice_President.htm| url-status=live}}</ref> Only a few states had an analogous position. Among those that did, [[New York Constitution|New York's constitution]] provided that "the lieutenant-governor shall, by virtue of his office, be president of the Senate, and, upon an equal division, have a casting voice in their decisions, but not vote on any other occasion".<ref>{{Cite web | title=The Senate and the United States Constitution | url=https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Constitution_Senate.htm#5 | website=senate.gov | publisher=Secretary of the Senate | location=Washington, D.C. | access-date=February 20, 2018 | archive-date=February 11, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211193328/https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Constitution_Senate.htm#5 | url-status=live }}</ref> As a result, the vice presidency originally had authority in only a few areas, although constitutional amendments have added or clarified some matters.