“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
At the heart of the debate over the proposed U.S. Constitution was whether it would preserve or undermine individual freedom and state sovereignty. In his 18th and final letter dated Jan. 25, 1788, the Federal Farmer concluded that ratifying the Constitution without...
During the Constitution’s ratification process, there was little to no debate about the type of government desired. Whether antifederalist or federalist, both sides fundamentally advocated for a federal republic with a general government exercising expressly delegated...
In one of his later essays, the Federal Farmer made a strong case for what eventually became the Tenth Amendment. A major contention among anti-federalists and other skeptics of the proposed Constitution revolved around the limits on federal power. In particular,...
While many anti-federalists, including Patrick Henry, regarded the judicial branch of the federal government under the proposed U.S. Constitution with deep suspicion, the Federal Farmer took a more moderate, albeit guarded stance. In his fifteenth letter dated Jan....
The Federal Farmer believed it was important to get the right people in office, yet he warned that a lack of more stringent requirements for officeholders would have negative consequences. The qualifications for office required by the Constitution are minimal. A...
In an earlier essay, the Federal Farmer argued that appointed officers would have too much power in the constitutional system and that there should be provisions made to reduce it. In his fourteen letter dated Jan. 17, 1788, he further expounded on his view that it...