Weak Presidency.

With the exception of Andrew Jackson, American presidents of the 1815-1850 period paled in comparison to those who had served earlier. They generally refused to assert the power of the office and allowed Congress to form and implement policy. America's traditional fear of a strong executive and its republican ideology, which placed a premium on liberty at the expense of power, worked against any presidential desire to expand the role of the office. James Madison, who left office in 1817, went as far as supporting a program of protective tariffs, a national bank, a stronger military, and internal improvements (all of which he had initially opposed), but his support was tempered by his fear that federal funding of improvements might be unconstitutional. Madison even vetoed an improvements bill due to his constitutional scruples, one of only two times the veto was used...