Power Line University, Lesson 6: The Progressive Attack on the Federalist

This week's Power Line University seminar on The Federalist completes our discussion of the separation of powers in Federalists 47 - 51, and then takes an extended detour into the Progressive Era attack on the separation of powers and other basic principles embedded in The Federalist—and by extension, in the Constitution. There are few things more fun than beating up Woodrow Wilson, but we note several of the ways his legacy deformed the presidency and paved the way for today's administrative state.

This contrast continues with an introduction to how the founders conceived the presidency at the Philadelphia Convention in 1787, and set the stage for our close look next week at Hamilton's robust understanding and defense of the presidency.

For those interested in taking in this episode on video, and thus having access to the slides of the key excerpts of texts we quoted, you can find it at this YouTube link.