How has the position of Speaker changed over time? | US Government and Civics | Khan Academy

How is the position of Speaker of the House changed over time?

The position of Speaker of the House has changed a lot over time, and it has had powerful early advocates. Henry Clay, an early Speaker of the House who had three different terms as Speaker, used the position to shepherd all kinds of legislation to improve America. He also played a crucial role in John Quincy Adams's becoming president because the election was thrown into the House. He was quite powerful then.

Then the job kind of, uh, got less powerful. There were periods during the Civil War where there wasn't a Speaker of the House for long periods because there was so much contention in the Congress; they couldn't pick a Speaker of the House. The modern Speaker of the House has become increasingly powerful, really, uh, growing with the growth of the federal government.

Around, let's say, the Second World War, various different speakers gained more power. In the recent incarnation, the Speaker is particularly powerful in two different ways. One is shepherding a president's legislation if the Speaker's from the same party, and the other is in opposition. They become essentially the opposition speaking against the president of an opposite party.

So people like that would be Nancy Pelosi now with President Trump, or John Boehner with President Obama, or Tip O'Neill with President Reagan. So they are the key person in doing combat with whoever's in the White House if they're from the opposite party.