The Anti-Federalist Papers

The Power of the Judiciary. (Part 2) Brutus, January 31, 1788 From the 11th essay of "Brutus" taken from The New-York Journal, January 31, 1788. The nature...

The Power of the Judiciary Brutus, March 20 & April 10, 1788 Part one is taken from the first part of the "Brutus's" 15th essay of...

An Antifederalist View of the Appointing Power under the Constitution Richard Henry Lee . . . . In contemplating the necessary officers of the union, there...

A Note Protesting the Treaty-making Provisions of the Constitution Hampden, February 16, 1788 The following essay was penned anonymously by "Hampden," and it appeared in The...

The President as Military King Philadelphiensis, February 6 & 20, and April 9 of 1788 "Philadelphiensis," who was influenced by Thomas Paine (in Common Sense), wrote...

Does the Presidential Veto Power Infringe on the Separation of Departments? William Penn, January 3, 1788 "William Penn," an anonymous writer appeared in the Independent...

On The Electoral College; on Re-eligibility of the President Republicus, March 1, 1788 By an anonymous writer "Republicus," appearing in The Kentucky Gazette on March 1,...

The Presidential Term of Office Agrippa, February 5, 1788; A Customer, March 13, 1788 Part 1: Luther Martin, The Genuine Information. Part 2: An excerpt from...

The Powers and Dangerous Potentials of His Elected Majesty An Old Whig, December 11, 1787 "An Old Whig's" essay from The New-York Journal of December 11,...

The Character of the Executive Office By Richard Henry Lee. The great object is, in a republican government, to guard effectually against perpetuating any portion of...

On the Mode of Electing the President William Grayson, June 18, 1788 From a speech by William Grayson given to the Virginia ratifying convention on June...

Various Fears Concerning the Executive Department Cato, November 8, 1787 From the "Cato" letters of George Clinton, taken from The New-York Journal of November 8, 1787. I...