Alexander Hamilton · 1788Unit 2 · Interactions Among Branches of Government
Federalist No. 70
What it says
Argues for a single, energetic executive: unity brings decision, activity, secrecy, and dispatch — and clear accountability.
How the exam uses it
The required source on presidential power; contrast it with modern debates over the unitary executive.
Live legislation where this document matters (2)
H.R. 4 · 119thPublic Law 119-28
Rescissions Act of 2025
An energetic executive proposing which spending to claw back tests Hamilton's case for presidential initiative against congressional control of the purse.
H.R. 6644 · 119thPublic Law 119-101
21st Century ROAD to Housing Act
Hamilton's energetic executive has real informal bargaining power — and this bill marks its constitutional edge, where withholding a signature simply stopped working.