Pierce Administration - Pierce and Congress
Pierce and Congress
Pierce served as president during the Thirty-third and the Thirty-fourth Congresses, in which the Democrats had a slight majority—a fact that renders curious Pierce's almost total lack of accomplishment. In fact, it was Congress that sold Pierce on the only major legislation passed during his presidency—the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 (See also, Domestic Issues).
During his relatively inactive presidency Pierce exercised the veto power nine times, mostly to block federal spending for internal improvements, including a bill sponsored by prominent social reformer Dorothea Dix to use 12 million acres of public land to fund institutions for the indigent mentally ill. As Pierce lost popularity in the second half of his presidency, the Thirty-fourth Congress overrode his veto five times.
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