Malcolm Rivera
John Lansing Jr. was a Founding Father of the United States, a lawyer, jurist, and politician. He was a delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention, where he intended to amend the existing Articles of Confederation. However, Lansing became disillusioned as the convention progressed, believing it exceeded its mandate by drafting a new constitution. He, along with other Anti-Federalists, opposed the newly proposed United States Constitution, arguing it infringed on state and individual rights and consolidated power into one centralized government. Lansing refused to sign the Constitution and continued to oppose its ratification.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for opposing the constitution | Lansing believed that the convention was exceeding its mandate by writing a new constitution instead of amending the existing Articles of Confederation. |
| Beliefs | Lansing believed in strengthening the Articles of Confederation by giving it a source of revenue, the power to regulate commerce, and to enforce treaties. |
| Opposition to centralized power | Lansing opposed the notion of a strong centralized national government, warning against the dangers of consolidating power. |
| Concern for individual and state rights | Lansing believed that the proposed constitution infringed on state and individual rights. |
| Anti-Federalist affiliation | Lansing joined other prominent Anti-Federalists in opposing the constitution, including Robert Yates, Luther Martin, and George Mason. |
| Non-signature on the constitution | Lansing was a non-signing delegate at the Constitutional Convention, declining to sign due to his opposition to some of the language and terminology used. |
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John Lansing Jr. believed the convention exceeded its mandate
John Lansing Jr. was a Founding Father of the United States, a lawyer, jurist, and politician. He was born and raised in Albany, New York, and served in the New York State Assembly from 1781 to 1784, in 1786, and in 1789, and as Speaker of the Assembly in 1786 and 1789. He also served as a member of the Congress of the Confederation in 1785 and as mayor of Albany from 1786 to 1790. In 1787, Lansing was a delegate to the federal Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, but he withdrew from the body in July because he believed the convention was exceeding its mandate by writing a new constitution instead of amending the existing Articles of Confederation.
Lansing had been appointed as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention by the New York Legislature, along with Robert Yates and Alexander Hamilton. Their mandate was "for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation". However, as the convention progressed, Lansing became dismayed as he believed the convention was exceeding its instructions by drafting a new constitution. He joined other prominent Anti-Federalists in strongly opposing the newly proposed United States Constitution, arguing that it infringed on state and individual rights and the sovereignty of the states.
Lansing and Yates walked out of the convention after six weeks and explained their departure in a joint letter to New York Governor George Clinton. In the letter, they stated their opposition to any system that would consolidate the United States into one government and warned that the kind of government recommended by the convention could not "afford that security to equal and permanent liberty which we wished to make an invariable object of our pursuit". They urged opposition to the adoption of the Constitution and Yates continued to attack it in a series of letters.
Lansing's desire was to see the Articles strengthened by giving it a source of revenue, the power to regulate commerce, and to enforce treaties. He believed that the Articles of Confederation could be improved upon without drafting an entirely new constitution. However, his attempts to prevent the ratification of the new Constitution ultimately failed. Lansing did not sign the Constitution and continued to oppose it, even after it was approved.
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Lansing opposed the centralisation of power
John Lansing Jr. was a Founding Father of the United States and a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. However, he did not support the final constitution, and he and some others opposed some of the language and terminology of the constitution and therefore declined to sign it.
Lansing was particularly opposed to the centralisation of power that the new constitution proposed. He believed that the convention had exceeded its mandate and was consolidating the United States into one government, rather than simply amending the existing Articles of Confederation. He felt that the convention was moving towards writing an entirely new constitution, which was not what he or the other Anti-Federalists wanted.
Lansing and his fellow New York delegate, Robert Yates, warned against the dangers of centralising power in a letter to New York Governor George Clinton. They stated that they:
> ...opposed any system that would consolidate the United States into one government, and they had understood that the convention would not consider any such consolidation.
Lansing and Yates further argued that the kind of government recommended by the convention could not:
> ...afford that security to equal and permanent liberty which we wished to make an invariable object of our pursuit.
Lansing and Yates wanted to see the Articles strengthened by giving it a source of revenue, the power to regulate commerce, and the ability to enforce treaties. They joined other prominent Anti-Federalists in strongly opposing Alexander Hamilton, James Wilson, and James Madison's notions of a strong centralised national government to replace the Articles.
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He disagreed with the proposed US Constitution
John Lansing Jr. was a Founding Father of the United States, a lawyer, jurist, and politician. He was a delegate to the federal Constitutional Convention in 1787, but he withdrew from the body in July because he disagreed with the proposed United States Constitution.
Lansing believed that the convention was exceeding its mandate by drafting a new constitution instead of amending the existing Articles of Confederation. He intended to follow the wishes of the New York Legislature and only amend the existing Articles. He wanted to strengthen the Articles by giving them a source of revenue, the power to regulate commerce, and the ability to enforce treaties.
Lansing joined other prominent Anti-Federalists in strongly opposing Alexander Hamilton, James Wilson, and James Madison's notions of a strong centralized national government to replace the Articles. He believed that the proposed Constitution infringed on state and individual rights and the sovereignty of the independent states.
Lansing, along with fellow New York delegate Yates, as well as Luther Martin of Maryland and George Mason of Virginia, opposed the newly proposed Constitution, considering it fundamentally flawed. They warned against the dangers of centralizing power and urged opposition to adopting the Constitution.
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Lansing was an Anti-Federalist
John Lansing Jr. was a prominent Anti-Federalist who opposed the United States Constitution, believing it infringed on state and individual rights. As a delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention, Lansing and his fellow Anti-Federalists advocated for strengthening the existing Articles of Confederation, rather than creating a new constitution. They specifically wanted to give the Articles a source of revenue, the power to regulate commerce, and the ability to enforce treaties.
Lansing's Anti-Federalist stance was driven by his belief in state sovereignty and his opposition to a strong centralized national government. He argued that consolidating the United States into one government would threaten individual liberties and permanent liberty. Along with fellow New York delegate Robert Yates, Luther Martin of Maryland, and George Mason of Virginia, Lansing strongly opposed the new constitution and refused to sign it.
At the New York Ratifying Convention, Lansing, as one of the leaders of the Anti-Federalist majority, unsuccessfully attempted to prevent the ratification of the Constitution. Despite their efforts, the Constitution was approved by a narrow vote of 30 to 27. Lansing's opposition to the Constitution and his subsequent political career reflect his commitment to his political ideals and his desire to shape the young nation's future.
Lansing's Anti-Federalist beliefs were not limited to his opposition to the Constitution. He also had a notable political career, serving in various roles within the New York government. He served in the New York State Assembly, as Speaker of the Assembly, as a member of the Congress of the Confederation, and as Mayor of Albany. Lansing's judicial career was also notable, as he served as a justice and later chief justice of the New York State Supreme Court. He also held the positions of Chancellor of New York and Regent of the University of the State of New York.
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He did not sign the Constitution
John Lansing Jr. was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, where the U.S. Constitution was adopted and the United States of America was officially formed. However, he was one of the non-signing delegates at the Convention, meaning he participated but did not sign the Constitution.
Lansing went to Philadelphia as part of the New York delegation to the Constitutional Convention. He intended to follow the wishes of the New York Legislature and only amend the existing Articles of Confederation. However, he became dismayed as the convention progressed, believing it was exceeding its mandate by writing an entirely new constitution instead of amending the Articles of Confederation, as he and others had expected.
Lansing and his fellow New York delegate, Robert Yates, withdrew from the convention after six weeks, explaining their departure in a joint letter to New York Governor George Clinton. They stated their opposition to any system that would consolidate the United States into one government and warned of the dangers of centralizing power. They urged opposition to adopting the Constitution, believing it infringed on state and individual rights and could not guarantee equal and permanent liberty.
Lansing, along with other prominent Anti-Federalists, strongly opposed the ideas of a strong centralized national government put forth by Alexander Hamilton, James Wilson, and James Madison. He believed that the Articles of Confederation could be strengthened by providing a source of revenue, the power to regulate commerce, and the ability to enforce treaties. Despite his efforts, Lansing was ultimately unable to prevent the Constitution from being approved.
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Frequently asked questions
John Lansing Jr. opposed the Constitution because he believed that the convention was exceeding its instructions by drafting a new constitution instead of amending the Articles of Confederation.
Lansing wanted to strengthen the Articles of Confederation by giving it a source of revenue, the power to regulate commerce, and to enforce treaties.
No, John Lansing Jr. did not sign the Constitution. He was one of the non-signing delegates at the Convention.
Yes, John Lansing Jr. left the Constitutional Convention after six weeks, along with fellow New York delegate Robert Yates. They explained their departure in a joint letter to New York Governor George Clinton, stating their opposition to any system that would consolidate the United States into one government.
No, despite John Lansing Jr.'s efforts as a leader of the Anti-Federalist majority at the New York Ratifying Convention, he was ultimately unable to prevent the Constitution from being approved and ratified.
