One of the most important issues concerning the presidency is how much power he should have in regard to what the Constitution allows. Several presidents have been criticized for surpassing what the Constitution allows, but none more than Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. Andrew Jackson was hailed as a champion of the common man, however his questionable use of the veto and harsh policies led to severe criticism. Abraham Lincoln was the most divisive president in history and his stance on slavery changed the course of the United States’ history. Theodore Roosevelt was a man who believed in “speaking softly and carrying a big stick” and this stance let him get what he wanted, no matter the repercussions. Presidential …show more content…
Jackson was hailed as a champion of the common man and was popular with the more rural areas of the country as well as with those who respected his military accomplishments. One of the first, and arguable least controversial, actions taken by Jackson was the Maysville Road Veto in 1830. This was significant because it was the first time any president had vetoed anything passed by Congress for reasons other than it being unConstitutional. Jackson was focused on bringing down national debt and he viewed this project as favoring the state of Kentucky and therefore his rival, Henry Clay. The six presidents before Jackson had vetoed a total of six bills, and Jackson would go on to veto eleven throughout his presidency. Many critics, including Clay, saw this as Jackson taking steps in a tyrannical direction. Some even went as far as to compare his actions to Napoleon taking power in France just a few decades earlier. The second series of events that led to scrutiny was Jackson’s apparent war on the Bank of the United States. Jackson felt the Second Bank of the United States was an institution that held the public’s money but was not under the public’s control. He also believed it influenced corruption throughout the federal government and negatively affected the economy. The bank recharter proposed to Jackson was supposed to do one of two things: either Jackson recharterd the bank, or …show more content…
His election was the most divisive in all of American history: Lincoln only earned forty percent of the popular vote. By the time we was inaugurated, seven states had seceded and formed the Confederate States of America. One month later, the American Civil War began with the Confederate forces opening fire on Fort Sumter in South Carolina. The Civil War was a significant factor in Lincoln’s unusual use of executive power, the first of which was the direct suspension of habeas corpus. Habeas corpus is defined as a recourse in law challenging the reasons or conditions of a person’s confinement under color of law. This means if someone is arrested or imprisoned, they are required to be brought before a judge to secure release if they were arrested on unlawful grounds. However, The Suspension Clause of Article One does not expressly establish a right to the writ of habeas corpus, it rather prevents Congress from restricting it, unless in a time of rebellion. Lincoln suspended habeas corpus on 27 April 1861 in Maryland. He had received word that antiwar Maryland officials intended to destroy railroad tracks between Annapolis and Philadelphia. This was immediately challenged in court and eventually overturned by the US Circuit Court of Appeals in Maryland. The argument was simple, the Constitution does not give the president the power to suspend habeas corpus, only Congress can, under very