Explanation:
The native americans were more inclined to side with the french because the british were suppressing them and taking their land.
The debate is relevant today because there are more or less similar things happening nowadays. The conservatives nowadays are also starting to respond to the political and cultural liberalism that has been the norm for a while. Both now and then, the country was and is divided a lot, which results in power struggles by these two factions.
Merchants? In what time period?
The president cannot make laws. Only the legislative branch (the Congress) can make laws. But the president can certainly veto laws and make official appointments. And as commander-in-chief of the military, the president also oversees the armed forces. So the only power in your list that the president does NOT have is to make laws.