Customer Reviews

The Essential Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers

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Among the significant documents of American history, few hold such a high degree of significance as the FEDERALIST PAPERS, constructed by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay. There is an endless list of books written on the Federalist Papers of which to choose from, however, the Anti-Federalist side of the argument has, for the most part, been ignored among American historians, and I know of no other volume that gives the reader a better opportunity to examine both sides of the argument together. THE ESSENTIAL FEDERALIST AND ANTI-FEDERALIST PAPERS, edited by David Wootton, presents both sides of the argument for the reader's examination.

Wootton provides documents defending each argument beginning with the historical sources, such as Blackstone's COMMENTARIES, used to construct the Constitution. Seven antifederalist voices follow, beginning with George Mason's broadside and concluding with four of Judge Robert Yates' ESSAYS OF BRUTUS.

This book serves a long overdue purpose, however, is not without fault. I'm sure, for brevity's sake, Wootton has included only 33 of the Federalist Papers (the original 33 which appeared in the New York newspapers, none of the later 52 papers which appeared in book form). My biggest disappointment in the book, however, is that the Federalist and Anti-Federalist arguments are separated rather than in chronological order. This would have made it much easier to comprehend what was being said in that, many of the arguments were responses to previous arguments from the opposition.

The book concludes with a selection of Constitutional documents. The Articles of Confederation, Madison and Edmund Randolph's Virginia Plan, and the Constitution-together with the first ten amendments-finish the volume, which also features a detailed index. Even though there were a few things I did not like about this book, if your goal is to research both sides of the Federalist/Anti-Federalist argument, this is a terrific source and will save you countless hours of research.

Monty Rainey
www.juntosociety.com

This series of essays was extremely helpful in continuing to develop my understanding of our Constitution and the founding of our Country. As to the various editions of the Federalist Papers, I'm glad I purchased this one since it presented both the Anti-Federalist and the Federalist viewpoints. Knowing what we know today about how our government works, it was fascinating to read what people like Hamilton, Madison, and Patrick Henry thought would be the outcome of the adoption of our Constitution. It is remarkable how right they were in some places and how wrong in others. If you want to boost you citizenship IQ, give this a read.

I use this in my undergraduate history courses to provide a window into the reason the Constitution was controversial. Wootton offers a solid introduction to the issues and the documents, and has included a terrific set of antifederalist documents that illuminate the mind of those who opposed the Constitution. The Federalist papers are representative of the key arguments. Some would argue that all the Federalist Papers should be provided, but that is not his purpose and for my use this is a more than adequate selection. Instead, Wootton includes additional defenses of the Constitution from Noah Webster and James Wilson. One of my favorite exchanges (though not provided in adjacent readings) is Wilson's defense and the Address of the Minority, both aimed at a Pennsylvania audience and presenting good encapsulations of common viewpoints. As a result, this book contains a broader and more representative set of voices on both sides of the ratification argument than is provided in other brief treatments.

The introductory section is substantial and balanced, but the documents are left to stand for themselves without comment or explanation-- which of course they certainly can and do, but for my use a stronger editorial presence would be useful. I find undergraduates can struggle with the rhetorical style of the 18th century. But as a documentary resource this is best of breed in a short, inexpensive collection. Kudos.

What can one say about the classics? Our founding fathers were genius!
Both federalists and anti-federalists knew what could happen if the republic were to fall into the wrong hands. The federalists were convinced that the republican form of government would ultimately prevail and knew that "the right of the people to alter or abolish the established constitution whenever they find it inconsistent with their happiness" would allow the government to grow and rewrite itself time and again.
Many times we as citizens forget just what the founding documents mean to this country. We take for granted our rights and assume the government knows better than we do. Now comes a tipping point in which the people will decide what is the best direction for the county...heading down the continued road of more and more government intrusion or do we go back to the basics and put our faith in the states to do the right thing.
I'm curious how those federalists would look at our county now. Most of them fought vigorously against a bill of rights stating that the government cannot abuse an authority which they have not been given and yet here we are fighting against government intrusion into an area that they have no authority in: healthcare.
The TEA Party movement encouraged me to go back and read this stuff again and it has rejuvenated my spirit. I know that no matter what our country is strong...one way or another the people will take the country back from those that wish to ruin it.
I would encourage all of you to read these papers again...you might be surprised to learn that what the anti-federalist had to say is very much what we are experiencing today.

Though tough to wade thru due to the language and sometimes lost meanings, this book is great. It opened my eyes to how involved the general population was in our government. The fight that went on to fine tune our great Constitution is laid out in these papers to the people. If you read the Constitution and Bill of Rights along with it, you can see the influences these great men had on our governing documents. This should be required reading in our schools along with the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Amendments and the Declaration of Independence. The insight of these men is astounding, as is the lack of insight in our current culture. Read it for yourself, then teach it as you can.

All Americans need to read this. Here lies the foundation. Our Founding Fathers had it right (and what beautiful English!)

Great, of course. When is the last time a Democrat has read these? How about a Republican? Want to know why the Tea-Party types are becoming dominant? Well for one thing we are motivated to read the real stuff.

A. Martin

Fast shipping and book is good. I haven't finished it yet but am 2/3rd through, very interesting reading.