--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only a free press could check abuses of…" description: "\"“Only a free press could check abuses of executive power, Hamilton asserted.”\" — Ron Chernow" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/665/ron-chernow-1189_executive-power_only-a-free-press-could-check-abuses-of_1123215.png" --- # Only a free press could check abuses of executive power… ![“Only a free press could check abuses of executive power, Hamilton asserted.” quote by Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/665/ron-chernow-1189_executive-power_only-a-free-press-could-check-abuses-of_1123215.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/665/ron-chernow-1189_executive-power_only-a-free-press-could-check-abuses-of_1123215.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/665/ron-chernow-1189_executive-power_only-a-free-press-could-check-abuses-of_1123215.png) > ““Only a free press could check abuses of executive power, Hamilton asserted.”” [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A free press is essential to limit executive overreach. **In simple terms:** Free press checks government power. Key Takeaway Support independent journalism. Themes freedom press government accountability Mood concerned hopeful Type political informative When to use this quote - politics - media - public policy Key Concepts democracy checks and balances Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens protect press independence? - What are modern challenges to free media? A Different Perspective Press freedom can be threatened by censorship. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abuses Executive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuses-executive-3050136/) [Executive power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/executive-power/) [Free press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-press/) [Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hamilton/) [Hamilton Asserted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hamilton-asserted-3050135/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) ## Related quotes > [“Hamilton, back by August 13, dove into a debate that passionately engaged him: immigration. He opposed any attempt to restrict membership in Congress to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/hamilton-back-by-august-13-dove-into-a-debate-that-passionately/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [After being Washington's aide for four years and becoming the hero of Yorktown, Hamilton was viewed with a great deal of suspicion because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/after-being-washington-s-aide-for-four-years-and-becoming-the-hero-of/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [A prudent silence will frequently be taken for wisdom and a sentence or two cautiously thrown in will sometimes gain the palm of knowledge,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/a-prudent-silence-will-frequently-be-taken-for-wisdom-and-a-sentence/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [Hamilton had a certain social versatility, and in a way, that is understandable because he's someone who rises up from the lowest rungs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/hamilton-had-a-certain-social-versatility-and-in-a-way-that-is/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“In the end, nobody would do more than Alexander Hamilton to infuse life into this parchment and make it the working mandate of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/in-the-end-nobody-would-do-more-than-alexander-hamilton-to-infuse/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [Hamilton was extremely combative. Not only was he combative, but he also overreacted to anything he perceived as a threat or a criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/hamilton-was-extremely-combative-not-only-was-he-combative-but-he/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [Hamilton had one of those extraordinary 18th-century minds that touched on virtually every major topic of the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/hamilton-had-one-of-those-extraordinary-18th-century-minds-that/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [Hamilton was young, dashing, and romantic. He lent himself perfectly to be the star of a musical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/hamilton-was-young-dashing-and-romantic-he-lent-himself-perfectly-to/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [The story of Alexander Hamilton lends itself to hip-hop treatment. Hamilton's personality is driven and unrelenting, and the music has that same quality. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/the-story-of-alexander-hamilton-lends-itself-to-hip-hop-treatment/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [Partly because his life ended before the age of 50, Hamilton was defined by the other founding fathers, and he managed, with amazing consistency,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/partly-because-his-life-ended-before-the-age-of-50-hamilton-was/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [I never imagined that Hamilton would be turned into a musical, much less a hip-hop musical. I think I can safely say that that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/i-never-imagined-that-hamilton-would-be-turned-into-a-musical-much/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“Hamilton then picked up a slim volume on the table and turned it over in his hands. “Ah, this is the constitution,” he said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/hamilton-then-picked-up-a-slim-volume-on-the-table-and-turned-it-over/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [A free press is not a privilege but an organic necessity in a great society. ... A great society is simply a big and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/a-free-press-is-not-a-privilege-but-an-organic-necessity-in-a-great/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [It is almost superfluous to say that there is no such thing as a free and independent press among the mainstream news media today.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-baldwin/it-is-almost-superfluous-to-say-that-there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-free/) [Chuck Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-baldwin/) > [“It struck me that there is a reason James Madison put freedom of speech and freedom of the press in the very first amendment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-karl/it-struck-me-that-there-is-a-reason-james-madison-put-freedom-of/) [Jonathan Karl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-karl/) ## More by Ron Chernow > [“In other words, Julia still believed in the beneficial effects of tobacco long after her husband had likely died from it. Even grimacing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/in-other-words-julia-still-believed-in-the-beneficial-effects-of/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“Right before his inauguration, he received a Quaker delegation and asked them to nominate Indian agents from their members. “If you can make Quakers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/right-before-his-inauguration-he-received-a-quaker-delegation-and/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“Grant roomed with Fred Dent, who also singled out Grant as “the clearest headed young man I ever saw . . . He always wanted to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/grant-roomed-with-fred-dent-who-also-singled-out-grant-as-the/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [The richly cadenced prose is hypnotic, the research prodigious, the analysis acute, the mood spellbinding, and the cast of characters mythic in scale. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/the-richly-cadenced-prose-is-hypnotic-the-research-prodigious-the/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“Hamilton has often been extolled as the exponent of a rational foreign policy based on cool calculations of national self-interest. But his April 14…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/hamilton-has-often-been-extolled-as-the-exponent-of-a-rational/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“While the folks at home embraced him as an improbable hero, Washington was denigrated in England as a reckless young warrior and in France…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/while-the-folks-at-home-embraced-him-as-an-improbable-hero-washington/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“the immorality of slavery became patently clear that spring. 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And it is not easy to conceive anything more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/he-warned-that-progressive-accumulation-of-debt-is-perhaps-the/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) [Explore all 276 Ron Chernow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) ## More Executive power quotes > [Modern Democrats aren't the first political party to abuse power - far from it. Obama isn'€™t the first president to abuse executive power -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harsanyi/modern-democrats-aren-t-the-first-political-party-to-abuse-power-far/) [David Harsanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harsanyi/) > [ I take the Constitution very seriously. 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This alliance or cooperation between the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrey-zvyagintsev/church-the-spiritual-power-and-the-executive-power-are-working-today/) [Andrey Zvyagintsev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrey-zvyagintsev/) > [The image of a free constitution was preserved with decent reverence: the Roman senate appeared to possess the sovereign authority, and devolved on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-image-of-a-free-constitution-was-preserved-with-decent-reverence/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Making recess appointments when the Senate isn't in recess is neither rational nor moderate. It's a raw misuse of executive power by a president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/making-recess-appointments-when-the-senate-isn-t-in-recess-is-neither/) [John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/) > [The constitution has divided the powers of government into three branches, Legislative, Executive and Judiciary, lodging each with a distinct magistracy. The Legislative it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-constitution-has-divided-the-powers-of-government-into-three/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [ \[T\]hough individual oppression may now and then proceed fro the courts of justice, the general liberty of the people can never be endangered from… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/t-hough-individual-oppression-may-now-and-then-proceed-fro-the-courts/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [The most fearful phenomenon of these midcentury years is not the atom bomb; atomic energy does have its constructive possibilities… The most fearful event…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wheeler-mcmillen/the-most-fearful-phenomenon-of-these-midcentury-years-is-not-the-atom/) [Wheeler McMillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wheeler-mcmillen/) > [“Dennis: Oh, but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis/dennis-oh-but-you-can-t-expect-to-wield-supreme-executive-power-just/) [Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis/) > [Executive power is exercised by the President of the Governing Board who, with the title of President of the Republic of Chile, administers the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusto-pinochet/executive-power-is-exercised-by-the-president-of-the-governing-board/) [Augusto Pinochet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusto-pinochet/) > [The government's assertion that it must be unhindered in protecting our security can camouflage the desire to increase Executive power, while the press's cry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stengel/the-government-s-assertion-that-it-must-be-unhindered-in-protecting/) [Richard Stengel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stengel/) > [I am committed against every thing which in my judgment, may weaken, endanger, or destroy (the Constitution) ... and especially against all extension of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/i-am-committed-against-every-thing-which-in-my-judgment-may-weaken/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [Presidential powers are not exercised by a body or group. The Constitution vests 'all executive power' in one and only one person - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barr/presidential-powers-are-not-exercised-by-a-body-or-group-the/) [William Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barr/) [Browse all 58 Executive power quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/executive-power/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Only a free press could check abuses of executive power, Hamilton asserted.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ron Chernow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/only-a-free-press-could-check-abuses-of-executive-power-hamilton/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Executive power" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/only-a-free-press-could-check-abuses-of-executive-power-hamilton/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/665/ron-chernow-1189_executive-power_only-a-free-press-could-check-abuses-of_1123215.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/665/ron-chernow-1189_executive-power_only-a-free-press-could-check-abuses-of_1123215.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/665/ron-chernow-1189_executive-power_only-a-free-press-could-check-abuses-of_1123215.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Only a free press could check abuses of executive power, Hamilton asserted.” — Ron Chernow", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ron Chernow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Only a free press could check...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/only-a-free-press-could-check-abuses-of-executive-power-hamilton/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/only-a-free-press-could-check-abuses-of-executive-power-hamilton/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```