Taxing Power: Luther Martin’s Anti-Federalist Warnings
Luther Martin believed the Constitutionโs sweeping taxation power was one of its most dangerous features, a direct threat to both state sovereignty and individual liberty. Long before the Sixteenth Amendment and the rise of federal income taxes, Martin warned that the...
Luther Martin vs. Landholder: Anti-Federalist Warnings on Consolidation and Tyranny
In a heated war of words, Luther Martin responded to a series of essays penned by Oliver Ellsworth under the pseudonym Landholder, defending his colleague Elbridge Gerry against Federalist attacks and reinforcing key Anti-Federalist warnings about consolidation and...
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...