Between the first proposals of a federal Constitution in 1787 and the document's 1789 ratification, an intense debate raged among the nation's founding fathers. The Federalist Papers — authored by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay — favored the adoption of the Constitution, but other early statesmen opposed its ratification. The latter group, writing under pseudonyms, amassed a substantial number of influential essays, speeches, and letters that warned of the dangers inherent in a powerful central government. Although never collected in as definitive a form as The Federalist Papers, these statements of opposition appeared in various publications and eventually became known as The Anti-Federalist Papers. Some of their arguments were incorporated into the first ten amendments to the Constitution — the Bill of Rights — but others remained unaddressed. The persuasive and well-argued statements encompassed by this volume continue to provide a valuable and timely perspective on the necessary limits of power.

Foreword

Constitutional Convention Debate - 1787

Qualifications for Suffrage:August 7, 10

Citizenship for Immigrants: August 9

Slavery and the Constitution: August 21, 22

Election and the Powers of the President: September 4, 5, 6

Opposition to the Constitution: 1787: September 7, 10, 15)
Mason, Randolph, Gerry

Objections to the Constitution of Government formed by the Convention - November 1787: Drafted Sept 15?
George Mason



Essays/Letters/Addresses - 1787/1788]

Richard Henry Lee, Letter to Edmund Randolph with Objections to the Constitution:- October 16, 1787

"John DeWitt" essays 1-3
22 Oct 1787 / 27 Oct 1787 / 5 Nov 1787

Anti-Federalist #1: General Introduction: A Dangerous Plan of Benefit Only to The "Aristocratick Combination" : Boston Gazette and Country Journal, November 26, 1787

Address of the Pennsylvania Minority December 18, 1787

"Centinel" number I {Anti-Federalist #47}
5 Oct 1787

"Federal Farmer" letters I and II
8 Oct 1787 / 9 Oct 1787

"Brutus" essays I, II, VI, IX, X, XI, XII, XV, and XVI:
18 Oct 1787 / 1 Nov 1787 / 27 Dec 1787 / 17 Jan 1788 / 24 Jan 1788 / 31 Jan 1788 / 7 Feb 1788 / 20 March 1788 / 10 April 1788]

"Cato" letters IV, V, and VII: 8 Nov 1787 / 22 Nov 1787 / 3 Jan 1788

Patrick Henry Speeches: June 5 and June 7, 1788

Melancton Smith Speeches: June 20-27, 1788 }