How Did Andrew Jackson Use His Power

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“Those who are not for us are against us,” was a mantra often used by Andrew Jackson. As a general and a president, Andrew Jackson frequently engaged in violent interactions. Jackson indulged in stepping over boundaries when he did not have the authority to do so. Before Jackson became president, he showed his competence in New Orleans. General Jackson enforced martial law, and ruled out writ of habeas corpus. These two illegal actions completely defied the Constitutional Rights of the inhabitants. These acts foretold how Jackson would use his power to alter the president’s role. Andrew Jackson was the most powerful president and therefore changed the presidency by strengthening the federal government, increasing presidential power, and imposing …show more content…
This system allowed the President to fill cabinet positions with his fellow whigs. In fact, he used this system so exclusively that his cabinet was called the “Kitchen Cabinet” (Feller). They were called the Kitchen Cabinet because they would enter the white house by way of a window in the kitchen. These actions allowed Jackson to sustain full use of his cabinet. Over the course of vetoing the U.S. Bank Jackson went through several Secretaries of State and Treasury. A total of nine secretaries were replaced in this time period because they would not follow through with the President’s plan. President Jackson’s plan was unconstitutional and therefore secretaries refused to follow his orders. Throughout his presidency, Jackson vetoed a total twelve bills. This is more than the presidents before him combined. Jackson also used the first “pocket veto” in U.S. history (Feller). A pocket veto is where the President does not sign a bill pushed through by Congress and allows the Congress meeting to be closed before he does sign. This technique shows a second way President Jackson abused his power. By sabotaging the bank and strengthening his cabinet, Jackson was able to increase his presidential power. These methods widened the scope of what boundaries the President can overstep, and by doing so changed the …show more content…
An example of this is the Second Bank of the United States. President Jackson despised the Bank, but had no reason to. The Supreme Court went through several cases dealing with the Bank, and each time the decision was that the Bank was constitutional. In one case, McCulloch v. Maryland, Maryland tried to sue the Bank for not paying taxes. One of Maryland’s laws is that any unchartered banks must pay a tax. James McCulloch, a bank cashier, refused to pay the taxes (McBride). Maryland took McCulloch to court. The Supreme Court ruled that the Bank was constitutional, and that Maryland’s tax was not. The Court ultimately said that the, “creation of the Bank was appropriately related to Congress 's legitimate power to tax, borrow, and regulate interstate commerce, the Bank was constitutional under the Necessary and Proper Clause” (McBride). Although the Supreme Court made this decision, the Court did not execute it. President Jackson saw this and took advantage of this mistake. Jackson used his presidential power, which is equal to the judicial branch’s power, and overruled this decision. Thus, the Second Bank of the United States ceased to exist. By using unorthodox methods of creating laws, Andrew Jackson changed the presidency by showing he was more powerful than the other branches of the

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