When the founders of our great nation designed the American political system, they saw a separation of governing powers as a fundamental cog in the machine of democracy. A president, serving as commander in chief, would be essential in administering and executing the law. However, in Federalist 51, Madison magnificently argued that the legislative branch must be the strongest because of its proximity to the American people. The Constitution was ratified shortly thereafter, and Congress’s legislative authority was enshrined in Article I.
It was no accident that the legislative branch was empowered in the very first article, even before the executive or judicial branches.