James Wilson
Anti-Federalists Strike Back: Two Responses to James Wilson’s State House Speech
On September 17, 1787, the Philadelphia Convention, finished drafting the U.S. Constitution. The Anti-Federalists wasted no time in denouncing the document. The first stand-alone counterattack against the anti-federalists took place in Philadelphia on October 6, 1787,...
The First Salvo in the Ratification Debates: James Wilson’s State House Speech
While most people today think of the Federalist Papers as the leading defense of the Constitution’s original meaning, it was actually a speech by James Wilson that had a far greater impact on ratification. On September 17, 1787, the Philadelphia Convention,...
James Wilson’s State House Yard Speech: A Primer
On October 6, 1787, eminent Pennsylvanian James Wilson delivered his famous “State House Yard Speech” in support of the Constitution in Philadelphia. On the dawn of the first true test for the Constitution’s palatability, Wilson sought out to explain how the...
Did Founder James Wilson oppose the Electoral College and favor “National Popular Vote?”
James Wilson of Pennsylvania (1742-98) was one of the most influential of the Constitution’s framers. Some scholars rank him as second only to James Madison. Wilson was a distinguished lawyer who eventually served on the U.S. Supreme Court. Advocates of direct...