Yesterday, you may have noticed that we took the bold (or maybe odd) decision to begin publishing all 85 essays from the Federalist Papers, which, at a rate of one per Thursday, will take us about 85 weeks, if my math is correct. In the context of this project and the 250th anniversary of our nation, it is important to also remember North Carolina’s response to this push to ratify the US Constitution in 1788.
Even if we revere the Constitution now and recognize its genius, not everyone was immediately convinced. Article 7 said that if at least nine of the 13 states ratified the document, it would become effective in those states. And exactly nine states immediately did so. But four states (New York, Virginia, Rhode Island, and North Carolina) dragged their feet. This is what motivated Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to write the Federalist Papers. They were specifically written to convince New Yorkers, but the arguments were also used to pressure those in the other three states.
While many other states were dominated by Federalists, who favored a stronger union than the Articles of Confederation had provided, the Anti-Federalists had a major foothold in the Tar Heel State. Federalists had major Founding Fathers (like those that wrote the Federalist Papers), but Anti-Federalists had their own prominent voices, like Patrick Henry and George Mason. And the Anti-Federalists in North Carolina, remembering the strong arm of British rule, were wary of individuals and the state losing any power to a far-away central government…