An Anti-Federalist constitution : the development of dissent in the ratification debates / Michael J. Faber.
2019
KF4541 .F23 2019 (Mapit)
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Title
An Anti-Federalist constitution : the development of dissent in the ratification debates / Michael J. Faber.
Imprint
Lawrence, Kansas : University Press of Kansas, [2019]
Copyright
©2019
Description
xiii, 489 pages ; 25 cm.
Series
American political thought.
Formatted Contents Note
The Anti-Federalists and the development of dissent
Three strands of Anti-Federalism
First impressions and initial objections
Opposition in Pennsylvania
Federalist momentum
The heart of the national debate
Compromise in Massachusetts
Setbacks in the northeast
Summer convention elections
Missed opportunities in Maryland
Futility in South Carolina
The Virginia convention
Anti-Federalists of New York
The Constitution ratified
Reconciliation and resistance
Elections and amendments
The last resistance and the completion of the Union
An Anti-Federalist constitution
The prospects of an Anti-Federalist constitution.
Three strands of Anti-Federalism
First impressions and initial objections
Opposition in Pennsylvania
Federalist momentum
The heart of the national debate
Compromise in Massachusetts
Setbacks in the northeast
Summer convention elections
Missed opportunities in Maryland
Futility in South Carolina
The Virginia convention
Anti-Federalists of New York
The Constitution ratified
Reconciliation and resistance
Elections and amendments
The last resistance and the completion of the Union
An Anti-Federalist constitution
The prospects of an Anti-Federalist constitution.
Summary
"What would an Anti-Federalist Constitution look like? Because we view the Constitution through the lens of the Federalists who came to control the narrative, we tend to forget those who opposed its ratification. And yet the Anti-Federalist arguments, so critical to an understanding of the Constitution's origins and meaning, resonate throughout American history. By reconstructing these arguments and tracing their development through the ratification debates, Michael J. Faber presents an alternative perspective on constitutional history. Telling, in a sense, the other side of the story of the Constitution, his book offers key insights into the ideas that helped to form the nation's founding document and that continue to inform American politics and public life. Faber identifies three distinct strands of political thought that eventually came together in a clear and coherent Anti-Federalism position: (1) the individual and the potential for governmental tyranny; (2) power, specifically the states as defenders of the people; and (3) democratic principles and popular sovereignty. After clarifying and elaborating these separate strands of thought and analyzing a well-known proponent of each, Faber goes on to tell the story of the resistance to the Constitution, focusing on ideas but also following and explaining events and strategies. Finally, he produces a "counterfactual" Anti-Federalist Constitution, summing up the Anti-Federalist position as it might have emerged had the opposition drafted the document. How would such a constitution have worked in practice? A close consideration reveals the legacy of the Anti-Federalists in early American history, in the US Constitution and its role in the nation's political life"--Provided by the publisher.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 465-473) and index.
Call Number
KF4541 .F23 2019
Language
English
ISBN
9780700627776 hardcover
0700627774 hardcover
9780700627783 electronic book
0700627774 hardcover
9780700627783 electronic book
Record Appears in
Monographs & Serials