Founding Fathers
Anti-Federalist Objections: Pennsylvania Dissent Explained
One of the most influential and widely cited anti-federalist papers wasn’t written by a single individual. It was produced by a group of delegates who rejected the Constitution during the Pennsylvania ratifying convention. Pennsylvania was the second state to ratify...
Repeal the 17th Amendment: The Anti-Federalist Warnings We Must Not Ignore
Repealing the 17th Amendment has become a rallying cry for those seeking to restore federalism. But the Anti-Federalists warned during the ratification debates that structural flaws in the Senate run much deeper than merely the method of election. Corruption,...
A Republic at Risk: Cato’s Anti-Federalist Warnings
“A vile and arbitrary aristocracy or a monarchy.” That’s what the anti-federalist writer Cato warned we would get under the Constitution. This was because, in his view, vague and dangerous provisions, expansive taxing power, excessive executive authority, and too much...
Forgotten Foundation of the Revolution: Letters from a Farmer
John Dickinson’s Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania rank among the most important essays espousing the cause of liberty during the American Revolution. Yet, today – few people have read or even heard of them. Written in response to the Townshend Acts,...