According to historian Arthur Schlesinger, the imperial presidency occurs when a president uses more power than allowed by the Constitution and is able to avoid the checks and balances of our constitutional system. There are three presidents who many believe were imperial presidents; Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon and George W. Bush. Lyndon Johnson became president when John F. Kennedy was assassinated on a hot day in Dallas. Many believe that the government acted quickly after JFK was declared dead to carry out actions that JFK had not intended to complete during his presidency. Johnson sent over 22,000 troops to the Dominican Republic in 1965 without congressional approval (Schlesinge, 1973). Johnson also sent combat troops to Vietnam. President Nixon did not spend funds appropriated by congress, information that was supposed to be reviewed by congress took over the executive role and refused to share information, key decision makers could not be questioned before congress on important issues, and he he also took the executive branch, making it very large and appointing cabinet positions without congressional approval (Digital History, 2014). Nixon's imperial presidency ended when he was embroiled in the Watergate scandal. Shortly after the Watergate scandal, Congress passed countless laws to prevent presidents from overusing their decisions. Not necessarily what is best for the country or what congress approves. The biggest headache for me was how the 9/11 attacks were handled. 9/11 was the largest attack on American soil since the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. A poll conducted five years after the attack showed that 1/3 of Americans believe the government had something to do with deal with the attacks or is aware of them. they were coming, but he did not intervene to stop them (Norman, 2011). The article was titled 9/11 Conspiracy Theories That Won't Stop, But If 1/3 of Americans Think That, Maybe They Should Have Done a Better Job on the Commission.