Federalist No. 70

Summary

Hamilton argues for a single executive rather than a council. A plural executive divides blame until no one can be held responsible, while one officer can be identified, watched, and removed. Energy in the executive, he argues, is not opposed to republican government but essential to it.

Key Passage

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.

What It Says

One person holds executive power so that one person is accountable for how it is used. Unity is defended as a tool of responsibility, not of strength.

What It Protects Against

Diffused responsibility. Hamilton’s target is the arrangement in which fault can always be shifted and no official can be held to account.

Problem Addressed

The Convention had considered an executive council, and several states preferred plural executives at the time.