William Maclay Mansion -Home of The First President's Loudest Critic
The
founding fathers checks and balance
philosophy of our new nation took on its full force during the first term of
Senator William Maclay. He took on none
other than President George Washington in what he saw was the ever expanding
power of the Executive Branch.
Before he became one of the first class of new senators in
the initial two year term in our new nation, Senator Maclay was a soldier,
lawyer, surveyor, state legislator and
judge.
Senator Maclay was a fervent supporter of the constitution
in 1787. But it is he along with Senator
James Madison that were among the first to speak loudly against the actions of
the new national government. He was convicted that President Washington was unconstitutionally
taking the powers of the executive branch too far beyond the powers of the
states.
Besides the records of Senatorial debates Maclay also was
devoted to his own private congressional journal. This is invaluable for historians to gain
insight on the tension of the times. His
public record and private thoughts give us a unique view of his hopes, fears
and concerns about the issues of his day in forging a way forward in the new
government.
To give an example you are probably already aware the
written constitution of the USA leaves many important matters unclear. The constitution says that the President can
make treaties with the advice and consent of the Senate. But what does that really mean in how the two
branches work together?
In 1789 President Washington
entered the Senate to spell out the treaty provisions he negotiated with
Indians along the nation's border with Spanish Florida. The Senators responded with debating the
treaty at length. President Washington was
so angry at their response that ever since the President and their diplomatic
team have worked out a way to negotiate the treaties and then send them to the Senate for their vote to approve.
Senator Maclay's journal reflects his biggest fear - that
the Executive Branch would continue to expand its powers in order to become
just another form of royalty. This was
the very principle much blood was just shed in the Revolutionary War with Great
Britain to be freed from the tyranny of one ruler.
We honor the precedent setting role of the feisty Senator
Maclay with our intro to our latest Harrisburg video.
To learn more about the life and times of Senator Maclay and
the preservation of his mansion check out:
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