Ratification Debates
Top Warnings from the Antifederalist Brutus
In his series of essays during the ratification debates, the Anti-federalist writer Brutus repeatedly warned about the dangers of centralized power, predicting the proposed federal government would end up exercising “infinite” and “incomprehensible” power. Like...
The Founders and the Constitution: Introduction
This series of essays focuses on those American Founders who exercised the most influence on the original Constitution as amended by the Bill of Rights. Each essay thumbnails the life and contributions of at least one individual. The essays also will tell you more...
Federal Farmer Makes his Case for the Tenth Amendment
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,...
Federal Farmer: Will the Judiciary Preserve or Destroy Liberty?
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....