Congressmen who supported the move to punish or censure Jackson did so for a wide variety of reasons: some regarded the Florida operation as a clear violation of the Constitution; some worried about Jackson’s possible emergence as a “man on horseback,” like Napoleon, who was a very recent and frightening example; others hated Monroe and wanted to damage his administration; and still others, who were committed to a states rights’ philosophy, regarded the Florida expedition as a fearful extension of federal—and particularly executive—authority.
