StephenD420:
I had to use the 3.3v pin as when I connected the potentiometer to the 5v pin the Arduino shut off. So I am assuming that the usb does not supply enough voltage.
That's bad. If the potentiometer is shorting out the connection, connecting it to 3.3V will keep the Arduino alive but it will overload/burn out the 3.3V regulator. Pretty soon your 3.3V could stop working.
When bad/unexpected things happen with electronics you should try to find out why.