Federalist 70 Scaffolded

Federalist #70, March 15, 1788, Scaffolded 

• I can explain why Alexander Hamilton believed a strong executive was necessary in the new Constitution.
• I can develop an argument using evidence from primary sources.

Building Context:

Because of their experience of tyranny under the British monarch, the American revolutionaries feared strong executives in the states or at the national level during the 1770s and 1780s. The Articles of Confederation lacked an independent national executive. Because of this, the national government could not respond to crises such as Shays’s Rebellion, compel the states to follow the Paris Peace Treaty of 1783, or enforce congressional laws over such things as taxation.  The Constitution created a single executive with broad powers. Anti-Federalists argued the stronger executive would become tyrannical and corrupt, and therefore would endanger liberty. In Federalist #70, Alexander Hamilton defends the strong executive in the proposed Constitution. Hamilton argued that a single executive would be more effective than a plural executive in executing the law and protecting liberty.

For more background information on Federalist #70, watch the following Primary Source Essentials video: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/videos/federalist-70-primary-source-essentials

Caption: Alexander Hamilton

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Text	In my own words
THERE is an idea, which is not without its advocates, that a vigorous Executive is inconsistent with the genius of republican government…Energy in the Executive is a leading character in the definition of good government. It is essential to the protection of the community against foreign attacks; it is not less essential to the steady administration of the laws; to the protection of property against those irregular and high-handed combinations which sometimes interrupt the ordinary course of justice; to the security of liberty against the enterprises (attempts at attack) and assaults of ambition, of faction (party or group), and of anarchy (chaos)…
…A feeble (weak) Executive implies a feeble execution of the government. A feeble execution is but another phrase for a bad execution; and a government ill executed, whatever it may be in theory, must be, in practice, a bad government.

Comprehension and Analysis Questions

1. What are the benefits of a strong, energetic executive, according to Hamilton? Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
2. Why does Hamilton argue that an energetic executive protects liberty more than a weak one?
3. What does Hamilton say are the dangers of an executive made up of two or more people?
4. How might an Anti-Federalist like Brutus respond to Hamilton’s argument for a strong executive?