 The committee also shortened the president 's term from seven years to four years , freed the president to seek re @-@ election after an initial term , and moved impeachment trials from the courts to the Senate . They also created the office of the vice president , whose only roles were to succeed a president unable to complete a term of office and to preside over the Senate . The committee transferred important powers from the Senate to the president , for example the power to make treaties and appoint ambassadors . One controversial issue throughout much of the Convention had been the length of the president 's term , and whether the president was to be term limited . The problem had resulted from the understanding that the president would be chosen by Congress ; the decision to have the president be chosen instead by an electoral college reduced the chance of the president becoming beholden to Congress , so a shorter term with eligibility for re @-@ election became a viable option . 
