Cornell, Saul. The Other Founders: Anti-Federalism & the Dissenting Tradition in America, 1788-1828.Williamsburg: University of North Carolina Press, 1999.
Thesis: Cornell argues that there is an evolving tradition of dissenting public discourse that "was shaped by a constantly shifting set of texts that defined what Anti-Federalism meant at various moments (2-3)."
Themes: A recurring theme throughout the text was the vitality of the press. In order for ideas, both Federalist and Anti-Federalist, to spread, the press needed to exist. The press was important as well, because the press did not just present ideas, but crafted them as well (much like we see today). An extension on the theme of the vitality of the press is the interpretation …show more content…
This again could be due to the time period that the book was written about, maybe more male historians tend to gravitate towards the topic, or maybe just an unconscious bias on the part of the author. Cornell does utilize a variety of journal articles and monographs. He uses articles from the Texas Law Review, William and Mary Quarterly, Journal of Southern History, Quarterly Journal of the Library of Congress, and Western Political Quarterly, among others. This variety in journals allows for variety in writings and viewpoints. There is also a variety of monographs used such as Alexis de Toqueville 's Democracy in America, The Age of Federalism by Eric McKitrick and Stanley Elkins (a text considered very important to Cornell), and Robert E. Shalope 's The Roots of Democracy....
Methods Statements: Through the examination of various texts of the course of time, Saul Cornell shows not only how Anti-Federalism thought evolved over time, but also how it continues to influence the political process today. Anti-Federalism was not, according to Cornell, a single idea, but rather one that changed over time, as did its reception by the …show more content…
This is followed by an introduction where Cornell introduces readers to the Anti-Federalists and their role during the ratification of the constitution. The book is then broken up into three parts: "Anti-Federalism and the Constitution," "Anti-Federalism Transformed," and "The Anti- Federalist Legacy." Within the these three parts are ten chapters: "Ratification and the Public Sphere," "Elite Anti-Federalist Political and Constitutional Thought," "Popular Anti-Federalist Political and Constitutional Thought," "Courts, Conventions, and Constitutionalism: The Politics of the Public Sphere," (Part One), "The Emergence of a Loyal Opposition," "Anti-Federalist Voices within Democratic-Republicanism," "The Limits of Dissenting Constitutionalism," (Part Two), "The Founding Dialogue and the Politics of Constitutional Interpretation," "Democratic-Republican Constitutionalism and the Public Sphere," and "The Dissenting Tradition, from the Revolution of 1800 until Nullification." These chapters are followed by an epilogue: "Anti-Federalism and the American Political Tradition." The text does not end there; one of the important things discussed by Cornell was the reproduction of Anti-Federalist texts and therefore he ends the text with two appendixes listing the various reprinting numbers of Anti-Federalist documents. The text also contains one map on page 23 about the ratification of the
Thesis: Cornell argues that there is an evolving tradition of dissenting public discourse that "was shaped by a constantly shifting set of texts that defined what Anti-Federalism meant at various moments (2-3)."
Themes: A recurring theme throughout the text was the vitality of the press. In order for ideas, both Federalist and Anti-Federalist, to spread, the press needed to exist. The press was important as well, because the press did not just present ideas, but crafted them as well (much like we see today). An extension on the theme of the vitality of the press is the interpretation …show more content…
This again could be due to the time period that the book was written about, maybe more male historians tend to gravitate towards the topic, or maybe just an unconscious bias on the part of the author. Cornell does utilize a variety of journal articles and monographs. He uses articles from the Texas Law Review, William and Mary Quarterly, Journal of Southern History, Quarterly Journal of the Library of Congress, and Western Political Quarterly, among others. This variety in journals allows for variety in writings and viewpoints. There is also a variety of monographs used such as Alexis de Toqueville 's Democracy in America, The Age of Federalism by Eric McKitrick and Stanley Elkins (a text considered very important to Cornell), and Robert E. Shalope 's The Roots of Democracy....
Methods Statements: Through the examination of various texts of the course of time, Saul Cornell shows not only how Anti-Federalism thought evolved over time, but also how it continues to influence the political process today. Anti-Federalism was not, according to Cornell, a single idea, but rather one that changed over time, as did its reception by the …show more content…
This is followed by an introduction where Cornell introduces readers to the Anti-Federalists and their role during the ratification of the constitution. The book is then broken up into three parts: "Anti-Federalism and the Constitution," "Anti-Federalism Transformed," and "The Anti- Federalist Legacy." Within the these three parts are ten chapters: "Ratification and the Public Sphere," "Elite Anti-Federalist Political and Constitutional Thought," "Popular Anti-Federalist Political and Constitutional Thought," "Courts, Conventions, and Constitutionalism: The Politics of the Public Sphere," (Part One), "The Emergence of a Loyal Opposition," "Anti-Federalist Voices within Democratic-Republicanism," "The Limits of Dissenting Constitutionalism," (Part Two), "The Founding Dialogue and the Politics of Constitutional Interpretation," "Democratic-Republican Constitutionalism and the Public Sphere," and "The Dissenting Tradition, from the Revolution of 1800 until Nullification." These chapters are followed by an epilogue: "Anti-Federalism and the American Political Tradition." The text does not end there; one of the important things discussed by Cornell was the reproduction of Anti-Federalist texts and therefore he ends the text with two appendixes listing the various reprinting numbers of Anti-Federalist documents. The text also contains one map on page 23 about the ratification of the