Benjamin Harrison Essay

Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president of the United States, utilized his executive powers more like that of William Howard Taft. President Taft believed in the literalist concept of presidential power, firmly expressing that the president can only exercise power within a strict interpretation of the Constitution of the United States. As a stringent believer of integrity and constitutionality, President Harrison fits Taft’s view. When he was first elected in 1889, Harrison practiced the merit system in choosing cabinet members and officials despite receiving ridicule from his Republican Party members for not abiding with the contemporary patronage system. His use of executive power in his presidency was, with few exceptions, thoroughly constitutional. He would usually ensure that his trust-busting bills, protectionist policies, and domestic policies like the McKinley Tariff and the Sherman Anti-Trust act of 1890 fell under the boundaries of his executive powers and the Constitution. He was also demanding in asking for authorizations from Congress for foreign policy approval and, he even respected Congress’s constitutional ability to declare war. For major projects and policies, he depended on the treaty power rather than executive agreement, which can skip legislative power.
Growing up in North Bend Ohio as a child, Mr. Benjamin Harrison had a pretty rural upbringing in which he did farm work and studied with private tutors at home. As a young boy, Harrison cherished a sense of order and self-assurance since peers and family closely surrounded him. However, many perceived his confidence as arrogance. During his pre-presidential political days, he gradually developed a stiff and formal personality; making him quite aloof. When he ...

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...residential career to the end of it, President Benjamin Harrison interpreted the U.S. constitution with a strict literalist view; believing that following the constitution and its specific clauses almost word for word was the most effective and less stressful way to run the executive branch of government. Though his Taft-like approach did not seem to make him a really notable, Harrison is significantly credited with having done much to America’s foreign policy; moving the nation along the path to world empire than any previous President and serving as a model for the young Theodore Roosevelt and other aspiring presidents to admire and emulate. By playing it safe and not going beyond the interpretation of the constitution, Harrison eluded any controversy of overstepping his bounds, but at the cost of just being known as an average president who rarely took any risks.