Cato
Cato vs the Constitution: Forgotten Anti-Federalist Arguments
“A vile and arbitrary aristocracy or monarchy” – that’s what the Anti-Federalist writer Cato warned we’d get. In a series of seven essays, he laid out his strongest arguments against ratification of the Constitution, predicting all kinds...
Ground Up and Spit Out
Putting all of your faith in Washington D.C. will destroy liberty. Cato warned us that centralizing the United States into one government would create a situation where people with a thirst for power and aggrandizement would “oppress and grind” us. View...
Too Much Power: Antifederalist Cato No. 7
In his last Antifederalist paper, Cato once again rails against centralization and consolidation of power – a consistent message for his entire series. Citing Montesquieu, he warns that all governments expand with “an insensible descent to evil.” The remedy?...
Don’t Trust Government: Antifederalist Cato No. 5
In his 5th paper, Cato reiterates the issues he has with the structure of the executive branch, moves on to reject claims that a free people would never let their government devolve into tyranny, and then rips into the structure of Congress. He warns the system will...