Building on their rejection of the principles of the Declaration of Independence, Progressives worked to remove constitutional restrictions on government’s power in order to institute their programs and policies. The 16th and 17th Amendments to the Constitution fundamentally transformed the federal government, but most Progressive policy successes occurred at the state and local levels.
Leading Progressives, especially Theodore Roosevelt, chided the courts—which were initially defenders of limited government—for failing to interpret the Constitution as a living document. Progressives also believed that direct democracy—including new mechanisms such as the ballot initiative, referendum, and recall—was superior to the Founders’ concept of representative government.
Woodrow Wilson emphasized that the constitutional separation of powers was both inefficient and irresponsible. Wilson’s solution was an empowered and greatly enlarged national administration, free from the influence of politics.
Both Wilson and Roosevelt held a new view of the American presidency. No longer would the president be merely the head of the Executive Branch; rather, he would be the political leader of the country and use his personal influence to direct the entire government.
Poster Comment:
If you fail to know the Constitution, you fail to understand the government and how it works.
Please be careful with anything from Hillsdale college, BTP. Hillsdale college is the citadel of warmongering neoconservatism. The unholy trinity that they worship -- yes, worship -- is Lincoln, Churchill, and Reagan. Margaret Thatcher is their blessed virgin.
They HATE the South and the noble Confederate Christians who defended their homes and states when the USA sent its armed forces here to burn, rape, loot, murder and subjugate us.
OMG, is it that bad? Can believe it, alas. The talk looks pretty good, though -- a much needed rip at TR and Wilson.
Now here's a good one -- years ago I found a master exposé on Hillsdale by some passionate Catholic, contrasting the immorality of its students (and IIRC the staff's laxity toward it) with the lofty ideals the school preaches. It also traced one of the deepest darkest secrets in cornsoyvatism -- the other side of Hillsdale's much-admired ex-president, George Roche.
Roche put the school on the map as a conservative mecca, partly via his indeed stunning fundraising abilities. But it suddenly came out some years ago that his wife Lissa (longtime editor of Imprimis) shot herself dead one night. Much later per that article it turns out George was in a lengthy affair WITH THEIR DAUGHTER-IN-LAW and, it is claimed, actually had Lissa killed -- credibly as far as I'm concerned -- at the time he divorced her, married the other woman, and was (needless to say) forced to resign.
That article (mebbe by E. Michael Jones?) used this as a basis for denouncing political Protestantism. The amusing irony is that this is all I can find looking for it now: