Book Review
The Anti-Federalist Papers and the Constitutional Convention Debates
Edited and with an Introduction by Ralph Ketcham (1927-2017)
Signet Classics 1986
Audio version of this review: anchor.fm
About the Author
Ralph Ketcham was Professor of History and Political Science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University. He was the author of many books on American History.
About the Book
The Anti-Federalist Papers is the collected works of those who were opposed to the Constitution. Starting on 25 September 1787, which was eight days after the final draft of the Constitution, and running through the early 1790s, the anti-Federalists published a series of essays. As with the Federalist papers, these essays were originally published in newspapers such as the New York Journal. The Anti-Federalists were unable to stop the ratification of the Constitution, The influence of their writing, however, can be seen in the nature and shape of the Bill of Rights.
The Contents include
An INTRODUCTION covering
The Revolutionary Background of American Constitutional Thought,
Republicanism in the 1780s,
Political Currents of the 1780s,
The Federal Convention of 1787,
The Ratification Contest,
Federalist Principles, and
Anti-federalist Political Thought
The book includes a table titled
SUMMARY OF OPPOSED ARGUMENTS IN FEDERALIST AND ANTI-FEDERALIST WRITINGS which itemizes 16 subjects such as Need for Stronger Union, Extent of Union, States’ Rights, Bill of Rights, Taxation
PART I is titled THE FEDERAL CONVENTION OF 1787
It covers 23 discussions from June 1 thru September 17 on subjects such as:
Debate on Executive Power
Debate on Veto of State Laws
Slavery and the Constitution
Opposition to the Constitution
PART II is titled RATIFICATION OF THE CONSTITUTION
with subsections including:
Speeches of Patrick Henry (June 5 and 7, 1788)
Amendments Proposed by the Anti-federalists (February 7 and June 27, 1788)
Amendments Proposed by the Rhode Island Convention (March 6, 1790)
The appendices include The Articles of Confederation, The Constitution, and a list of Principal Speakers at the Convention there follows an ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY and INDEX OF IDEAS
The documents in the sections on the ratification contest under the pseudonyms “Brutus,” “Cato,” “Centinel,” “Federal Farmer,” “John Dewitt,” and the Pennsylvania Minority as well as those openly authored by Patrick Henry and Melancton Smith are reprinted from The Complete Anti-Federalist in 7 volumes, edited by Herbert J. Storing, published by University of Chicago, 1981
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