nd started an era of administrative presidents that still exists today. Abraham Lincoln was the last president in the 19th century to further expand the power of the presidency. Because he was a member of the minority party with a divided cabinet and only received 40% of the popular vote had to rely on the constitution for his power. He believed that the preservation of the union was more important than strict adherence to the constitution. Lincoln in the first 80 days of his presidency called up 112,000 troops, blockaded southern ports, ordered 19 new ships built for the navy, suspended the rid of habeas corpus, and had the secretary of the treasury furnish two million dollars for military use without the required congressional approval. This precedent allows future presidents to take actions strictly forbidden by the executive branch in times of national emergency without congressional approval. The most important expansion of the power of the presidency happened during the Jackson administration. When Jackson used the veto power of the president to influence legislation as a matter of policy and not constitutionality he arguably altered the balance of power between the legislative and executive branches. This shift in power resulted in presidents being able to dictate with the threat of a veto the way congress writes laws. This set a precedent for future presidents to push legislation such as “The New Deal”, “The Fair Deal”, and “a Great Society” all of which are presidential proposals. ...
