Free Republic

The president’s critics thought his presidency was illegitimate to begin with. His Cabinet members changed frequently. Mainly based on policy disagreements, members of Congress demanded his ouster. Some lawmakers were willing to toss out constitutional norms based on what they said was the president’s “ignorance of the interest and true policy of this Government, and want of qualification for the discharge of the important duties” of his office. But we’re talking 1843, not 2019. In the midst of House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry targeting President Donald Trump, many pundits make comparisons to the impeachments of Presidents Andrew Johnson in 1868 and...

Opposition to the National Bank Main article: Second Bank of the United States Democratic cartoon shows Jackson fighting the monster Bank. "The Bank," Jackson told Martin Van Buren, "is trying to kill me, but I will kill it!"The Second Bank of the United States was authorized for a twenty year period during James Madison's tenure in 1816. As President, Jackson worked to rescind the bank's federal charter. In Jackson's veto message (written by George Bancroft), the bank needed to be abolished because: It concentrated the nation's financial strength in a single institution. It exposed the government to control by foreign...

How many things are in a person's pocket that they don't even know about? We take money for granted -- most people can't tell us which way George Washington is facing on the quarter. They can tell us that Ben Franklin is on the front of the hundred, but they can't tell us that Independence Hall (where he helped draft the Constitution) is on the back. One might think that as denominations get smaller and more common, the pictures on them would become more famous and well-known. The ten-dollar bill features Alexander Hamilton on the front. Since he was never...

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) is hopeful that his bill to create a National Infrastructure Bank will move through the Senate this year. The bill could be the best shot for those seeking to boost transportation, energy and water infrastructure investment in a Congress focused on “rapacious” spending cuts, Kerry said. The Kerry bill, co-sponsored by Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), would create an independent, nonprofit bank that would leverage private investment into infrastructure projects. The bill was introduced in March.

Asian stocks pushed higher on Monday and the dollar lost ground as investors looked for U.S. President-elect Barack Obama to quickly roll out hefty economic stimulus spending and a revived plan to buy bad bank assets... ...A top Obama adviser, David Axelrod, said the incoming administration is considering setting up a government-run bank to acquire bad assets -- ...The focus is now on the inauguration of the U.S. president. Hopes are growing again as economic stimulus steps will likely be bigger than previously thought, and may include additional measures to shore up banks," said Takahiko Murai, general manager of equities...

Mr. Dickinson's death arose from a feud with Jackson, then a major general who gladly settled questions of honor with violence. In 1803, he even challenged Gov. John Sevier, a Revolutionary War hero, to a duel. The feud with Mr. Dickinson is generally traced to the aftermath of a forfeited horse race and rumors questioning Jackson's honor... Some historians have written that Mr. Dickinson also insulted Mrs. Jackson, although documents from the time do not reflect that... Tennessee had banned duels, so the men traveled north to Kentucky. When the order came to fire, Mr. Dickinson hit Jackson just beside...