Federalist No. 70, Alexander Hamilton

Read Federalist No. 70 from your Required Documents Reader (Abernathy & Waples, 2019) and answer the following questions.

Discuss the benefits that a strong executive provides to a republican government. (Footnote 1)

Discuss how a weak executive creates a bad government. (Footnote 2)

Describe what, according to Hamilton, is the most necessary quality for a president. (Footnote 3)

Identify the four ingredients of an energetic executive. (4)

Explain how a shared presidency allows the executive to avoid responsibility. (11-12)

Explain why a plural executive or executive council would lead to bad government. (14-16; 21-24)

Critical Thinking: In Federalist No. 70, Hamilton wrote that "energy in the executive" was one of the most important parts of the executive department. This "energy" has been cited as a justification for the expansion of presidential power, especially in the twentieth and into the twenty-first century. Has the expectation surrounding the role of the president grown too much? Does the media and thus the people of the US put too much stock into the importance of who is president when it comes to issues like the economy, federal policy, and/or foreign policy?