likehello1776's Journal

George Washington, precents set:
- Relinquished power to John Adams after two terms.
- Didn't take any titles linked to royalty because he felt they were too closely linked to the English monarchy.
- Didn't personally meet with the Senate when he seeked 'advice and consent'

Thomas Jefferson:
- Tied with Aaron Burr for first place in the Electoral College, leaving the House of Representatives to decide the election.
- Created the first party system.
- Ended the practice of giving the State of the Union in person, instead opting to send a letter to congress. (The practice of giving the State of the Union in person was revived by Woodrow Wilson)

James Madison:
- Went to war with the British.

Andrew Jackson:
- First President to come from poverty, orphaned seen as the common man's President.
- He was instrumental in saving New Orleans from the British.
- Jackson removed many people from office and replaced them with friends and party loyalists.
- Fought to abolish the United States National Bank.

Abe Lincoln:
- Lincoln, who was inexperienced in war himself, handled the war on two parts. First, he made sure that Washington, D.C. was well-protected and to conduct an aggressive war effort to appease the Northern press who wanted an offensive war approach. He did both of these in an effort to end the war as quickly as possible.
- Lincoln was a prime example of the stewardship model. He would often make decision without the approval of congress and later seek to have them retroactively approved. He would sometimes not enforce decision that congress has made if he didn't agree with it. He was the executive office as the highest office in the land.
- His relationship with congress, the courts and his cabinet were rocky. He would take on the court when he didn't agree with decision they made, he would often move to pass laws when congress wasn't in session and he built so much distrust in his cabinet that they would often backstab him for their own political gain.

Andrew Johnson:
- A former governor of Tennessee, Johnson was sympathetic to the plight of the Southern states and favored a quick manner of reconstruction where as all former confederate states would be quickly readmitted. Congress and Johnson disagreed, with Congress wanting a more difficult manner of re admittance to the union.
- Congress and Johnson were at odds. Johnson removed his Secretary of War and replaced him with someone else which Congress objected to because it passed a law that no public figure who holds an office that was approved by Congress should be removed without first appointing a successor. The House approved impeachment and the Senate voted, Johnson was found not guilty but one difference in a vote could have rendered an opposite verdict.

1796 Election - was the first contested American presidential election and the first one to elect a President and Vice-President from opposing tickets, exposing potential flaws in the original Electoral College system.

1800 Election - Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr defeated John Adams. Began the ushering in of a new generation of Democrat-Republicans and the eventual dissolvment of the Federalist party. First time President and Vice President ran on same ticket. REALIGNMENT ELECTION.

1824 Election - First and only time President did not win electoral vote, no candidate received the majority of the votes. The previous years had seen only one party The Democrat-Republican party in elections after the Federalists party dissolved, in this election the Dem-Repub. split into four separate groups. REALIGNMENT ELECTION.

1828 - Jackson wins an electoral and popular vote victory over Adams, no other major party candidates ran in this election.

1832 - The first year a major party convention was held. Jackson easily wins relection.

1860 - Lincoln became the first Republican elected. Major issue in this election was slavery. Immediate result of Lincoln winning was the sucession of the southern states to form their own country. REALIGNMENT ELECTION.

1864 - Lincoln re-elected, become the first President to be re-elected in quite some time. Southern states that had suceeded from the Union did not vote in this Election.

1876 - Perhaps the most disputed Presidential election in U.S. History. Three states including Florida has disputed election results. In a compromise reached in 1877, Republicans agreed to end reconstruction, pull troops out of the South in the southerns would allow Hayes to ascend to the Presidency.

1892 - Grover Cleveland becomes the first person to be elected to two non-consecutive terms.

1896 - William McKinley set the stage for 16 years of Republican control of the White House. REALIGNMENT ELECTION

IMPEACHMENT - process by which a legislative body formally levels charges against a high official. First, House must pass "Articles of Impeachment" by a simple majority, then the Senate tries the person, there must be a two-thirds majority of the Senate voting guilty in order for someone to be removed from office. Members of the Executive branch and members of the Judicial branch can be impeached. The purpose is to try and convict members of the Executive Branch or Judicial who have done some sort of wrongdoing. 16 people have been impeached, including two Presidents, Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton.

NOMINATING PROCESS - Voters vote in primaries or caucasus for a slate of delegates who then cast their votes for the winning candidate at a parties convention.

PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL ELECTIONS -

ELECTORAL COLLEGE - Voters vote for a candidate but are actually voting for a group of electors. The candidate that wins the plurality of votes in each state (exception of Miane and Nebraska) gets that entire states electoral votes. Then electors meet and cast their votes 41 days after the election was held.

STEWARDSHIP V. CARETAKER PRESIDENCIES - Stewardship feels the executive branch is the highest branch and does not completely follow the constitution, Caretaker follows the constitution, faithfull executes laws and believes congress if the dominant branch.