Book Review: Federalists and Antifederalists, The Debate Over the Ratification of the Constitution

Federalists and Antifederalists: The Debate Over the Ratification of the Constitution (Constitutional Heritage Series, V. 1) by John P. Leffler, Richard Kaminski

Summary: After a short introduction, a selection of papers, newspaper articles from 1787 and 1788 display the arguments and the ferocity of the debate over the ratification of the constitution. Thus, a selection of essays from the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists describe what both sides of the debate thought about the following topics: the Nature of Republican/Democratic Gov’t, the Senate, the House of Representatives, the President, the Judiciary, and the Bill of Rights.

Review:  It is an excellent overview of the arguments presented by both sides of the debate over the ratification of the Constitution.  In the process, the debates also present something of what the founders(both Federalist and Anti-Federalist) thought of how republican government’s should work, and how the government under the Constitution would work.  It also can help us analyze many of the issues at hand today.  Since, the issues they dealt with are very similar to ours.  Such, as the representativeness of the gov’t(Congress),  fears of “Big Brother” or a despotic gov’t arising.  It also reminds us of what the intentions were to restrain the President from doing such things as making war!