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What the Anti-Federalists Were For: The Political Thought of the Opponents of the Constitution Kindle Edition

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 71 ratings

The Anti-Federalists, in Herbert J. Storing's view, are somewhat paradoxically entitled to be counted among the Founding Fathers and to share in the honor and study devoted to the founding. "If the foundations of the American polity was laid by the Federalists," he writes, "the Anti-Federalist reservations echo through American history; and it is in the dialogue, not merely in the Federalist victory, that the country's principles are to be discovered." It was largely through their efforts, he reminds us, that the Constitution was so quickly amended to include a bill of rights.

Storing here offers a brilliant introduction to the thought and principles of the Anti-Federalists as they were understood by themselves and by other men and women of their time. His comprehensive exposition restores to our understanding the Anti-Federalist share in the founding its effect on some of the enduring themes and tensions of American political life. The concern with big government and infringement of personal liberty one finds in the writings of these neglected Founders strikes a remarkably timely note.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004L623ZY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The University of Chicago Press (December 2, 2008)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 2, 2008
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.0 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 117 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 71 ratings

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Herbert J. Storing
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Customers find the book well-written and easy to read. They appreciate the scholarly content that provides a comprehensive understanding of the Anti-Federalists' position on the role of government in America. The book explains the context of the debate and provides an insightful view of both sides' thinking.

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8 customers mention "Readability"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and well-written. They say it's a good read for those interested in the American Constitution, with extensive research and great information.

"Great read! I think every American should read this book and get a new understanding of American Politics." Read more

"...It is well written, extensively researched, and adds a great deal to the course...." Read more

"...New scholarship, and better writing styles by more current authors, will supplement what Storing wrote in this introduction to the three volume..." Read more

"...Well worth reading if you are interested in the topic." Read more

8 customers mention "Scholarly content"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a great resource for understanding the Anti-Federalists' position on the role of government in America. It provides a comprehensive overview of the opposition's position and context of the debate. The book is well-researched and provides an excellent summary of both the Federalists and Anti-Federalists.

"Short but excellent summary of both the Federalists and Anti-Federalists positions. In many ways the debate continues uninterrupted." Read more

"...It is well written, extensively researched, and adds a great deal to the course...." Read more

"Somewhat densely packed, this is the scholarly, definitive view of the thinking of both groups debating the ratification of the Constitution...." Read more

"...overview of the opposition's position and explains a lot about the context of the debate. Well worth reading if you are interested in the topic." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2023
    Short but excellent summary of both the Federalists and Anti-Federalists positions. In many ways the debate continues uninterrupted.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2020
    In just 75 pages, the author—a political scientist at the University of Chicago and the leading expert on the Anti-Federalists—presents the arguments of the Anti-Federalists, shows the arguments' shortcomings, demonstrates why the Anti-Federalists lost, and argues that the Anti-Federalists were still relevant at the time the author wrote (the mid-1970s). And, after reading, I believe that Anti-Federalist thought is still relevant in the early-2020s.

    Americans revere their Constitution, so it is helpful to see why so many people in the 1780s opposed the Constitution. There were legal grounds—the Constitutional Convention was not organized to create a new Constitution, but to improve the Articles of Confederation. But principally, the Anti-Federalists opposed a Constitution that created a large republic governed by a strong central government. The Anti-Federalists were localists who believed that liberty was best preserved in small, homogenous, largely autonomous states. But the Anti-Federalists also recognized that the Articles of Confederation was insufficient to accomplish the goals of the new American nation, and it was on this contradiction that the Anti-Federalists lost out to the Federalists: the Anti-Federalists recognized the need for a stronger national government, but they were unable to present a convincing and coherent alternative to the Federalists' proposal.

    The Anti-Federalists' influence continues in two ways. First, the Anti-Federalists ensured that the Constitution was amended to add the Bill of Rights. So much of what Americans love (and hate) about their Constitution is found in that Bill of Rights: freedom of press and speech and religion, the right to bear arms, the right to be free from unreasonable searches, the right to be compensated when the government takes private property, the right to a speedy and public trial by jury, and the right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment.

    Second, the Anti-Federalists emphasized that a republic can only survive if its citizens are virtuous. While the loss of virtue is a constant lamentation, as of this writing (October 2020) it does seem that the United States has hit a low point in public virtue. Whether an enormous, diverse empire can survive when its citizens lack any common sense of morality and civic duty is an open question—and if the American experiment fails, it will be the ghosts of the Anti-Federalists who get to say, "I told you so."
    14 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2016
    Great read! I think every American should read this book and get a new understanding of American Politics.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2012
    I use this book in my university course on the American Political Thought and the Constitution. It is well written, extensively researched, and adds a great deal to the course. Most of the time the Anti-Federalists are given short shrift in these sorts of courses, but they were instrumental in forcing through a Bill of Rights, and were amazingly prophetic concerning the eventual concentration of power in the national government
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2014
    Somewhat densely packed, this is the scholarly, definitive view of the thinking of both groups debating the ratification of the Constitution. In explaining what the Anti-Federalists thought he goes into great depth on the Federalists too. New scholarship, and better writing styles by more current authors, will supplement what Storing wrote in this introduction to the three volume collected Anti-federalist writings. In one slim paperback.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2000
    This book is a classic example of a potentially valuable resource nearly destroyed with poor prose. The well-studied Mr. Storing produced an almost unreadable book through the use of awkward sentence structure and the liberal intermixing of his prose and quotes from founding fathers. He main literary abuse is convoluted sentences, such as "In reply to all of these objections, the Anti-Federalists complained, they were told, . . . .". Simple declarative sentences would have made this a wonderful book., and not an exercise in frustration.
    21 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2014
    First off, I'm not a theory/philosophy person AT ALL but I've been assigned this book in two graduate level political science courses. While I don't particularly like the material (important but mind numbingly dry), this is a fantastic book for understanding the Anti-Federalists' position about the role of government in America. The Federalist papers are often the only readings assigned in American Government classes which is a shame. This book provides a fantastic overview of the opposition's position and explains a lot about the context of the debate. Well worth reading if you are interested in the topic.
    13 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2021
    This covers the beliefs of the Anti-Federalists and their objections to the American constitution, a good read for those interested in understanding early America.

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