Week 2

Question 1

Lepore
What does the Lepore account add, if anything, to our understanding of the founding of the US, the convention and the presidency?

Answer 1

• Perspective maters (small states vs large states)
  Backgrounds matter
• Lepore discusses slavery/ slavery was the biggest factor in how the United States was laid out.
  Emphasis on how the constitution barely passed (discredits it)
  Nelson/Wilkins just discussed the slave compromise.

Question 1

As you are reading, see if you can extract a list of a few divisions in the political world and themes that seemed to consistently emerge in the debates about the executive (Milkis/Nelson)

Answer 1

-Number in the executive
-Selection and sucession
-Terms
-Reeligibility
-Removal
-Disability

Question 2

Ask yourself to what extent these divisions and themes still exist today (Milkins / Nelson)

Answer 2

-Disability
-Removal

Question 3

What, exactly, is “separation of powers” according to Madison? And do you have to have “separate and distinct” to meet the requirements of SOP? (and what it doesn’t!)( FED 47, 48, 51 and 68)

Answer 3

-No you don’t have to have separate and distinct to have separate of powers
-Separations of power would be separate branches that have checks and balances to not gain all the power
-It is okay to have partial control over the other

Question 4

peg one or two things that seemed really to worry Publius, what would they be (fed)

Answer 4

human nature, threat of tyranny (cabal, intrigue, corruption) p5 68
Solution: Structure of government… institutions

Question 5

In #48, Madison moves beyond defining SOP.
What role does SOP have in that paper? “Parchment barriers” constitute an alternative, of sorts, to SOP. How likely effective are the parchment barriers? Who/what is Madison’s big fear?

Answer 5

Parchment (laws) Barriers are not enough

Checks and balances are what needs to be used. (One entity stopping the other entity)

His biggest fear was tyranny of the branches and use of power on each other to restrict liberty.

Question 6

In #51 Madison depicts the mechanisms through SOP is insured. What is it about the “interior structure” that does the trick? And how does “ambition counter ambition”

Answer 6

“Interior structure”
“The private interest of every individual may be sentinel over the public rights”

They would be mandated to hold to their own power
Personal motives to not

If you set these men in a situation where they act on their ambition to maintain their power, it is going to have useful ratification for their branch.

Personal interest prevails in politics