State Ratifying Conventions
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...
Hamilton’s Dictatorship: Antifederalist Cato No. 2
In response to the first published antifederalist paper from Cato, Alexander Hamilton (likely) launched a scatching attack. Writing as Caesar, he suggests opponents should “take it as it is and be thankful,” and even implies that the choice is Washington...
Urging Caution: Antifederalist Cato No. 1
Just days after the proposed Constitution was signed in Philadelphia, the first of Catoโs Antifederalist papers was published in the New York Journal. In this paper, Cato urged caution, and urged readers to decide for or against the plan based on principle rather than...
Today in History: Georgia Becomes 4th State to Ratify the Constitution
Today in 1788, Georgia ratified the United States Constitution, becoming the fourth state to do so. There was virtually no opposition to the Constitutionโs ratification in in the state and there are very few detailed records of the stateโs proceedings. The official...