Do You Know the History of Executive Orders? Plus, Find Out Which President Has Issued the Most (Hint: Not Obama)

 Glenn Beck and David Barton discuss the history of executive orders on TheBlaze TV

During his show on TheBlaze TV Wednesday, Glenn Beck hosted author and historian David Barton to discuss the history of executive orders and also how President Barack Obama is using them today.

Curious by nature, Beck did not have a shortage of questions regarding these presidential orders. He wanted to know how they can be used and why they were even created in the first place.

"The thinking on it is it is really a presidential tool to fulfill two clauses in the Constitution," Barton explained.

The first clause states the president shall "hold the executive office" -- a relatively simple command. The second clause, Barton added, states the president of the United States shall "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." Executive orders were never intended to give a president the authority to go around Congress to enact legislation.

Barton argued that Obama has overstepped his authority in his use of executive orders in several instances, including when he asserted executive privilege over documents relating to Operation Fast and Furious and in regards to "Obamacare." And there's more where that came from.

Watch the informative segment via TheBlaze TV below:

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And for a more detailed look at Obama's executive orders:

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Beck and Barton also went over how past presidents have used executive orders and how they drastically increased over time. In fact, out of the first nine presidents, no one ever issued more than nine executive orders. But that didn't last.

FDR leads all presidents with a whopping 3,522; Woodrow Wilson issued a second-best 1,803 executive orders; in third place was Calvin Coolidge with 1,203. George W. Bush clocked in at 291 and President Obama has issued 147 executive orders so far.

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