Jackson used his populist support to advance his personal agenda, while Lincoln enacted special powers during the Civil War. Most of the time however, it could be said that the Speaker of the House was actually the most powerful man in the United States. This hierarchy changed during the early 20th century. The advent of American Imperialism and the Progressive movement allowed Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson to create new organizations that strengthened the role of the Presidency in both foreign and domestic affairs. International diplomacy become much more important following World War I, and the President served as the main executor of American policy abroad.
The Presidency became especially “Hamiltonian” during the terms of Franklin Roosevelt. The Senate willingly ceded powers to the Executive branch says Rick Pildes, an NYU law professor. This allowed Roosevelt to create legislation meant to help alleviate the Great Depression, like the WPA, or the reason we’re here tonight, the Rural Electrification Act, which kickstarted electric cooperatives across the