“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
“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...
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...
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?...
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...
Cato was one of the first Antifederalist writers to examine the executive branch. He predicted it would “tend either to the establishment of a vile and arbitrary aristocracy, or monarchy,” with a permanent class of elites ruling from on high. Path to Liberty: March 2,...
In his 3rd paper, Cato focuses on the dangers of consolidation, or centralization of power. In support, he relies on both Montesquieu and Locke – warning that a consolidated government would never be able to properly represent the views of people in different...