By Pauline Maier
Library book
Xi - People put more stock in the Federalist papers than they sometimes deserve. Maier reminds, "[the Papers] were too often read as if it were a dispassionate, objective analysis of the Constitution" and not what it really was, which was actually just a "Partisan statement written in the midst of a desperate fight in a critical state."
Xiii July 4, 1788 "Antifederalists burn the constituion,"which for them was a percectly patriotic act."
Xiii- Maier says "shorthand men" copied the highlights of the state conventions for publication. "The printed debates were never exact" and may I add probably tendentious and partisan. Today, in our media saturated world, we would have the actual footage from everyone participating in excruciating detail. It's up to us to yet determine which was better, synopsis or minutiae.
Xiv - "Antifederalist was a Federalist term" (And a term of opprobrium). Interesting point, the winner tells the story and uses his own labels and terms. Just ask any Indian about that theory.
Pg. 15 Amongnst all tbet troubles with the ineffectual Articles, the event that prompted action was Shay's Rebellion. Some say it wasn't really a crisis at all and the powers of government inherent withing the framework of the Articles were certainly up to the task of putting it down as witnessed. To others it was a fire bell in the night.
Washington was not even sure he should attend this Convention, whose purpose was to fix up the Articles, and not to make a whole new government. He worried that in attending, he would violate tbe Cincinnati. He had beat his sword into a plowshare and was more than happy to rest under his "vines and fig trees." But where was the honor? For Washington, above all else, wanted to do the honorable thing.
Pg.32 It is stated very clearly in the Constitution that "Congress alone could declare war." If we had only stuck to this we could have avoided alot of heartaches.
Congress would pass laws that were "necessary and proper" to running the government. This and "promoting the general welfare" would be used and abused by partisans arguing that their position was constirutional. It would givebthe lawmakers Carte Blanche!
Pg. 72 II'm amazed at tbe vituperatude of the populace toward simple criticism of the document that would later become the Constitution. It was sort of a mob or sheep mentality took over with the more vocal side who.favored ratification threatened violence to those who thought differently.
Soon the first "Cato" letters (most likely George Clinton) appeared in the New York Journal.These letters along with other reconstituted Romans, mark the appearance of the first organized resistance to ratification. These essays taken together make up what some call the Anti-Federalist papers and became the loyal opposition's written response.
The crisis of Shay's Rebellion and the fear of the loss of Kentucky to spain and Vermont to England was what was driving the hysteria. Its and age old method of insuring the wishes of the powers that be get passed even if it's not in the best interests of the governed. How do you get people to vote againsf tbeir own interests? You scare them by exacerbating the crises all out of porportion. Works everytime. "Centinel" (likely Pennsylvania supreme court justice George Bryan's son) says hey wait a minute here, there is no immediate crisis. Let us take our time and really go over this document and give itsome scrutiny becore voting.
It's the same reason people voted for the PATRIOT ACT without even reading it. Nothing but time separates politics and human nature.
James Wilsom comes out in support of the Constitution by saying that state constitutions should have a bill of rights because the state governments assume all power unless otherwise specified. Whereas the Federal Government will asume none unless specified, therefore a bill of rights is not necessary and may acutally be counterproductive. If he only knew to what extent the bounds of the Federal Goverment would be stretched he would have felt differently I think.
Pg. 93 Maier reminds us that the "Antifederalists contested the term and, above all, The implications of disloyalty it carried."One can oppose the government and still be loyal. Isnt tbat every American's right?
Pg 104 so in the end, the vocal minority won in Pennsylvania. The convention voted to ratify against some pretty stiff competition. In spite of the rush to be first to ratify, they lost that race to Delaware who voted to ratify with no opposition as did New Jersey. Georgia was next and again with no opposition. So by the end of 1787, four states had signed on to tbe scheme. Next the spotligbt would move.to Connecticut and Massachusetts whose conventions were slated to meet early in 1788.
Pg. 138 Connecticut goes off without a hitch, and unlike Pennsylvania the loosers "didn't go away mad." Now on to Massachusetts (which at this time includes Maine-and you know how they love to dicker) and to the land of Daniel Shays, the reason this whole Constitution thing got started in the first place. Got a feeling this one's gonna take some doing.
170 One of the things displeasing to the Massachusetts men was the lack of the word God in the preamble.
179 On discussing pay, Theodore Sedvwick stood up to defend the right of Congressmen to set tbeir own pay, in a sense pay themselves. Sedgwick naively says, "Congress would not give its members exorbitant salaries, (can you imagine?) because they are answerable to the people." Ha! If you only knew where that was going sir. Not only would they vote themselves "exorbitant" salaries, they would also get exorbitant pensions and healthcare that would gaurentee their safe retirement. Which in turn makes our esteemed Representative less likely to fix the medical and retireme t system of their so-callex bosses.
215 so with Massachusetts firmly in the ratify column (a hard won fight). It's on to Richmond! But first...
New Hampshire adjours without a vote
Pg. 225 Rhode Island says no!
Pg. 247 Maryland is in! Seven pillars!
252 South Carolina is in! Eight!
Buy the summer of 1788, eight states had voted to ratify, most with reservations. Most people wanted to see a "bill of rights" attached prior to giving their approval. In June it would finally be decided as Virginia and New Hampshire and New York would all meet that same month and by the end we would know if this thing they called a constitution would become the supreme law of the land.
Virginia would meet firat and if a yes vote could be achieved, then they would be the official 9th state and the one who would forever go down in history as the deciding state. On to Richmond!
312 While we were stuck in the Richmond Statehouse listening to Patrick Henry drone on and on and on and on and on.... New Hampshire beat us to the punch. Intead of Virgina, the Old Dominion being the deciding ninth state New Hampshire would.go down in history as the decider. Virginia votes to ratify, but like many other states before her wants a Billof Rights inserted prior to ratification. Now the federal facade has ten pillars and more than enogh to pass. The events that proceed seem anticlimactic. But the fact that it played out just a few miles from my childhood home provokes my interest. On to Poughkeepsie!
Pg 360 In the midst of the raging debate in Poughkeepsie, news arrives the Delaware has rsatified bringing the total to nine and making the whole point of further debate moot. Yet amazingly the debate continued.
Pg 390 Word arrives that Virginia has also ratified really making furhter discussion superfluous. Yes lile true politicians they ignore the obvious and continue to bloviate.
400 New York is in! 11 staes now have ratified.
Pg 435 North Carolina is in and the game is over 12 states ratified. All in (as usual no one care about Rhode Island--Rhode who?
Done! I must say this book never really grabbed me. It had a few enjoyable moments but was mostly a chore.from start to finish. The information is important though so I stayed with it, but yikes!
Topics:
Shay's Rebellion
The Anti-Federalist papers
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