Ratification Debates
The Anti-Federalist Views of Elbridge Gerry
Elbridge Gerry opposed the ratification of the Constitution, believing it consolidated power, lacked safeguards for individual liberties, and undermined the reserved powers of the states. He maintained his objections throughout the ratification process, despite fierce...
Luther Martin’s Warning: The Constitution as a Threat to State Sovereignty
Luther Martin, a prominent Anti-Federalist, warned that the proposed Constitution would destroy state sovereignty by concentrating power in a centralized national government. One of the few opponents of the constitution to attend as a delegate to the Philadelphia...
Federalism and the 10th Amendment: Tench Coxe Explains Delegated and Reserved Powers
“Independent of the control or interference of the federal government.” That’s how Tench Coxe described the vast majority of power under the Constitution – reserved to the states and completely off-limits to federal authority. Perhaps better than any...
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...