Question

Why did President Andrew Jackson oppose renewing the charter for the Second Bank of the United States?

Answer 1

Andrew Jackson was a strict constructionist. This means that he had a strict interpretation of the United States Constitution, as opposed to a loose constructionist who had a loose interpretation of the United States Constitution. He believed that it should not be up for interpretation and should be interpreted how it is stated.

The Bank of the United States was quite a controversial topic during this time, as strict constructionists thought it was against the United States Constitution since there was nowhere in it that stated the bank could be created. On the other hand, loose constructionists did not think having a bank was unconstitutional because it was "necessary and proper." They would continue to use this Necessary and Proper Clause or the "elastic clause" to push for things that were not explicitly stated in the Constitution.