An Energetic President - Federalist #70
In Federalist #70 Alexander Hamilton discusses the need for a single, powerful President.
Federalist #70
Alexander Hamilton
March 18, 1788
Alexander Hamilton wrote Federalist #70 in response to criticisms that the President was given too much power by the Constitution.
Furthermore, he discusses the flaws in the idea that the Executive Branch should be staffed by more than one person.
Energy
After the American Revolution, many people were rightfully afraid of a leader being given the opportunity to assume absolute power.
While Hamilton acknowledges these fears, he also firmly believed that a President should have a certain amount of ‘energy.’
This was because other historical republics suffered from a lack of centralized authority and, therefore, would frequently fall into the hands of dictators.
A Feeble Executive
This quote sums up Hamilton’s argument in Federalist #70 perfectly:
“A feeble Executive implies a feeble execution of the government.”
However, just because Hamilton wanted a strong President, he too was concerned with that person not being kept in check. This is why he points out that the United States Senate is responsible for making the laws while the President is only permitted to carry out those laws.
Additionally, despite his authority, the President was unable to obtain too much power because the Senate could still impeach him for abusing his office.
Multiple Executives?
As a protection from the President becoming tyrannical, many Anti-Federalists promoted the idea of an Executive Branch consisting of two or more people.
Hamilton disagrees with this on account of expediency.
When a decision concerning the enforcement of laws needs to be made, it should be done quickly. Having more than one person in the Executive Branch will slow down the process. While this is to be expected in the Legislative Branch, it can be devastating in the Executive.
Hamilton notes that this would be particularly disruptive during wartime, when the military will need to take instructions from a single leader.
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