17th Amendment: How it Broke the Safeguard Against Consolidation
When the framers designed the Senate, they envisioned it as a safeguard for the states, with a key component being state legislatures choosing senators instead of the people at large. Federalists repeatedly assured the Anti-Federalists that because of this structure,...
How Tench Coxe Shaped the Ratification Debates: Essays of A Pennsylvanian
History often overlooks Tench Coxe, but he was one of the most important founding fathers. While the Federalist Papers are celebrated and widely discussed today, Coxe’s essays, written under the pen name “A Pennsylvanian,” had a far greater impact on...
Limited or Absolute Power: Warnings from Anti-Federalist Agrippa
The Anti-Federalist writer Agrippa powerfully expressed many of the same reservations about the Constitution as other opponents – that it would create a consolidated government leading to a loss of liberty. But unlike most others, Agrippa was also concerned with...