Project Title
Abstract/Description
Scholarship of the American founding remains divided as to the nature of Anti-Federalist political philosophy. One school of thought contends that the Anti-Federalists were the heirs of the republican tradition, while the other maintains that the Anti-Federalists operated from a liberal worldview. Thus in what manner and to what extent Anti-Federalists draw upon the republican and/or liberal political traditions remains unclear. In answering this question I examine the writings of the Anti-Federalist Cato, analyzing what conceptualizations characterize Anti-Federalist thought and from what traditions of political philosophy these ideas arose. I also analyze texts of the major traditions that my have had a formative influence on Anti-Federalist thought in order to provide a basis of comparison with the Anti-Federalists. As the Anti-Federalists played a crucial role in creating the Bill of Rights, these understandings will establish a framework for interpreting its role in American governance and jurisprudence.
Recommended Citation
Hallenbrook, Christopher
(2009).
Exploring the Nature of Anti-Federalist Thought: Republicanism and Liberalism in the Political Thought of Cato.
Undergraduate Review, 5, 46-52.
Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/undergrad_rev/vol5/iss1/11
Rights Statement
Articles published in The Undergraduate Review are the property of the individual contributors and may not be reprinted, reformatted, repurposed or duplicated, without the contributor’s consent.