A Federal Government by Careful Design…
August 23, 2021 by LauraH · 2 Comments
Anyone who studies the founding of our country and has peeked beneath the surface of how our Founding Fathers structured the United States of America’s Federal Government, must stand in awe of the delicate intricacies and broad sweeping stabilities the Founders instituted to keep us balanced. As a lover of American History, I am delighted when I find individual examples of their well oiled machine at work… when I see branches of our government “gird their loins” and bravely step into the role they were given. Such an incident occurred on June 2, 1952 when the Supreme Court decided Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co vs. Sawyer, also commonly referred to as the Steel Seizure Case or the Youngstown Steel case.
“[This] was a landmark United States Supreme Court decision that limited the power of the President of the United States to seize private property. The case served as a check on the most far-reaching claims of executive power at the time and signaled the Court’s increased willingness to intervene in political questions.
In the midst of the Korean War, the United Steel Workers of America threatened a strike, for higher wages, against the major steel producers in the United States. As President Harry S. Truman believed that a strike of any length would cause severe dislocations for defense contractors, Truman seized control of steel production facilities, keeping the current operating management of the companies in place to run the plants under federal direction. Though the steelworkers supported the move, the steel companies launched a legal challenge to the seizure on the grounds that the president lacked the power to seize private property without express authorization from Congress. “ (Wikipedia)
I wonder if sometimes our Founders smile to each other and say, “I love it when a plan comes together”. Here at RareNewspapers,we have great issues covering Supreme Court decisions. I find they make for a fascinating read. May there always be brave warriors to take up the mantles our Founders designed.