When the finished Constitution was first released for ratification by the states the clause that gave the people the most pause was Article II on the Executive. The people were surprised how much power the president had and having just broken from a King they were not sure they could support a powerful president. Yet, the reason for a strong president was simple. In order to protect the people from the government the Founders created three branches of government with the idea that if one branch tried to become tyrannical the other two could restrain them. Under this idea it was necessary to make the Executive Branch as strong as the Legislative Branch. England had recently experienced their own civil war between the King and Parliament and what the Founders knew was that not just a president or king could become tyrannical, but so could congress. They created a strong president who could stand up to congress.
Historically Speaking 