The Essential Antifederalist [Hardcover]

W. B. Allen (Author), Gordon Lloyd (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0819146315 | ISBN-13: 978-0819146311 | Publication Date: May 30, 1985

The most comprehensive one-volume access to Antifederalist thought, this volume offers a selected anthology of readings excerpted from the body of Antifederalist writing. Co-published with the Center for the Study of the Constitution.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...succeeds admirably in presenting the positive side of the Constitution's opponents...ably recreates the givens of the opponents' side of the ratification debate: the fears and jealousy of a free people and explicit rejection of the Federalist visionof making the United States a mighty and splendid world power. Arresting sentences and superb whole essays, notably those by James Monroe and the Maryland Farmer, still provoke thoughtful consideration of the Constitution....>>>

...the headnotes they wrote to each section...are a strong point in the volume's favor...a useful documentary...their work is not polemic and it is their very activism that makes the book a more interesting one with which to introduce this generation of students to the political thought of the Antifederalists.>>>

About the Author

William B. Allen is professor of political science at Michigan State University. A Ph. D. from Claremont Graduate School, Allen is author of The Federalist Papers: A Commentary, Let the Advice Be Good: A defense of Madison's Democratic Nationalism, and editor of All Cloudless Glory: A Biography of George Washington by Harrison Clark.
Gordon Lloyd is the John M. Olin Professor of Public Policy at Pepperdine University. A Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate School, Lloyd is the co-editor ofThe Essential Bill of Rights: Original Arguments and Fundamental Documents, as well as the author of numerous articles on federalism and the founding. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 292 pages
• Publisher: University Press Of America (May 30, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0819146315
• ISBN-13: 978-0819146311
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,781,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice sampling of Antifederalist thought, June 3, 2007

By 

Steven A. Peterson (Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL)) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Essential Antifederalist (Paperback)

As the book notes at the outset (page viii), "'The Antifederalists' is the name commonly used to designate those people who opposed the ratification of the Constitution." Most Americans are probably pretty much unaware of the key opponents of the Constitution as it was being debated--let alone understanding the arguments raised against the document. This edited volume helps to address this lack of awareness by presenting many key documents authored by those who opposed the Constitution. As such, it enriches our understanding of what was "at stake" during the Constitutional debate.

The book reminds us that the Antifederalists actually had demonstrable effects on the final version of the Constitution; for one thing, their argument about the need for a Bill of Rights led to a promise by Federalists (supporters of the proposed Constitution) to include such an item after the new government was formed and operational.

The Introduction notes two key issues animating the Antifederalists and dividing them from the Federalists--(page x): ". . .the people are the sovereigns of the government; and an express reservation of powers qualified the government by affirming the people's sovereignty." A central issue dividing the opposing camps, indeed, was the very nature of representation. Antifederalists wanted more representation (annual elections, rotation in office [now referred to as "term limits"], large numbers of representatives), whereas the Federalists, as indicated in the "Federalist Papers," wanted some distance between the people and their representatives.

The preceding lays out the nature of the volume. There are some nice features of the work, such as a timeline of events during ratification. What about the contents of the book? Chapter One focuses on the origin of Antifederalist thought (including writings by John Lansing, Luther Martin, and John Lansing, among others). Chapter Two looks at the Antifederalists' views of the Federalists, including speeches by Patrick Henry at the Virginia Ratifying Convention. Chapter Three explores the Antifederalist view of republicanism. Some of the major works on this subject that appeared in print are presented in the book. The final chapter examines Antifederalist support.

In sum, this is not a perfect volume (many important essays are left out, but one can only include so much, and the editors' selection is a reasonable set of works), but it does provide a representative compendium of works by the Antifederalists. As such, the book helps enhance understanding of the debates of that era and indicates key issues that were at stake during the debate.