Ratification Debates
Patrick Henry’s Warning on “Implied Authority”
Patrick Henry’s impassioned remarks during the final days of the Virginia Ratifying Convention were the culmination of week-long arguments between skeptics of the proposed Constitution and its supporters, such as James Madison. In modern context, it is easy at first...
The Federal Farmer: The Constitution Would Lead to a Complete Consolidation
During the debates over ratification of the Constitution, one of the most influential and important series of papers were written by the Federal Farmer, an anti-federalist who forcefully warned that the proposed federal government would lead to consolidation and a...
Why the Framers Thought Ratification by Only Nine States Was Sufficient
In an earlier essay in my “Defending the Constitution” series, I responded to the common charge that the 1787 Constitutional Convention abused its trust. The charge is that the commissioners (delegates) exceeded the scope of the convention “call” issued by Congress....
The Division of Federal and State Powers
How much power would the federal government have? And what powers would the states retain? This was a hotly debated question as the states considered ratifying a new constitution. For the average person, the Federalist Papers are the go-to source for understanding the...