Question

every man the least conversant in roman story, knows how often that republic was obliged to take refuge in the absolute power of a single man, under the formidable title of dictator, as well against the intrigues of ambitious individuals who aspired to the tyranny, and the seditions of whole classes of the community whose conduct threatened the existence of all government, as against the invasions of external enemies who menaced the conquest and destruction of rome.

there can be no need, however, to multiply arguments or examples on this head. a feeble executive implies a feeble execution of the government. a feeble execution is but another phrase for a bad execution; and a government ill executed, whatever it may be in theory, must be, in practice, a bad government.

taking it for granted, therefore, that all men of sense will agree in the necessity of an energetic executive, it will only remain to inquire, what are the ingredients which constitute this energy? how far can they be combined with those other ingredients which constitute safety in the republican sense? and how far does this combination characterize the plan which has been reported by the convention?

source analysis
underline where hamilton argues that weakness in the executive results in a bad or weak government.

check your understanding
what does hamilton assume that all sensible men will conclude?

source analysis
contrast the information in the last paragraph on this page with what hamilton says about rome in the first paragraph. what does he mean by \safety in the republican sense\? use the space below the third paragraph to compose your answer.

Explanation:

For "Check Your Understanding" question:

From the text, the relevant sentence is "Taking it for granted, therefore, that all men of sense will agree in the necessity of an energetic Executive". So we extract the assumption from this sentence.

1. Contrast: The first paragraph uses Rome's use of a Dictator (single - man absolute power) to deal with internal and external threats as an example of the need for strong executive power. The last paragraph shifts to inquiring about the ingredients of an energetic Executive and how to combine it with "safety in the republican sense" (focusing on the design of the executive in a republican system, not just historical examples).
2. "Safety in the republican sense": In a republican government, "safety" likely refers to ensuring the government is run well (energetic execution) while also maintaining republican principles (like avoiding tyranny, ensuring the government is accountable to the people, and balancing power so that the executive does not become too powerful and undermine the republic's values, while still being strong enough to govern effectively). It involves combining the energy of the executive with safeguards to prevent abuse of power, so that the government is both effective and consistent with republican ideals (e.g., representative, limited in a way that protects liberty and the will of the people).

Answer:

Hamilton assumes that all sensible men will conclude that an energetic Executive is necessary.

For "Source Analysis" (Contrast and "safety in the republican sense" question):