Panic in the Senate

Andrew Jackson fought the British, the Spanish and the Indians, but equally important, he campaigned passionately to limit the power of the federal government and that of the central bank as well. In a story that resonates with Americans who follow the news today, this book analyzes the heated debates in Washington and throughout the country over how much power the President ought to have, and how much the central bank (now called "e;the Fed"e;) could exercise in controling the nation's economy. This book argues that the Senate session of the 23rd Congress (often referred to as the "e;Panic Session"e;) served as the final arena for both battles: what form the American presidency would take and the economic direction the country would follow. The debates of the session are often condensed down to the words of Senate giants such as Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and Daniel Webster, but this book argues that others' contributions to the session were equally important.