Isabella Carter
Mercy Otis Warren was an Anti-Federalist who opposed the ratification of the US Constitution. She anonymously published the pamphlet *Observations on the New Constitution* in 1788, in which she criticised the proposed government outlined in the new constitution, arguing that it left too much room for human error, corruption and greed. She also objected to the absence of a bill of rights in the new constitution, a concern shared by many other Anti-Federalists.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Political views | Anti-Federalist |
| Criticisms of the Constitution | Inadequacies and technical shortcomings |
| Criticisms of the Constitution | Left too much room for human error, corruption and greed |
| Criticisms of the Constitution | Did not include a bill of rights |
| Pamphlet | Observations on the new Constitution |
| Pamphlet | Written in a theatrical style |
| Pamphlet | Sweeping criticisms |
| Pamphlet | 1,700 copies printed and distributed in New York |
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What You'll Learn
- Mercy Otis Warren was an Anti-Federalist
- She criticised the Constitution for not including a Bill of Rights
- She anonymously published a pamphlet titled *Observations on the New Constitution*
- She criticised the entire proposed government outlined in the Constitution
- She argued that the Constitution would betray the people of the United States
Mercy Otis Warren was an Anti-Federalist
Warren's political views differed from those of her friends John and Abigail Adams. Adams' work, *Defense of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America*, was regarded by many anti-federalists as a defence of monarchy and a disavowal of the political ideals fought for in the American Revolution. Warren and her husband, James, both felt compelled to make arguments against ratification, each anonymously publishing their own anti-federalist arguments.
Warren's pamphlet was reprinted in newspapers across several states. In New York, anti-federalists printed and distributed 1,700 copies of *Observations on the New Constitution* as a counter to the 500 copies of the ratification-supporting *The Federalist Papers*. Anti-federalist arguments created strong opposition in each of the states to adopting the new constitution. Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York all made the inclusion of a bill of rights in the constitution a condition for ratification. Pressure from Anti-Federalists like Warren ensured that a Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution in 1791.
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She criticised the Constitution for not including a Bill of Rights
Mercy Otis Warren was an Anti-Federalist, meaning that she opposed the ratification of the Constitution. She criticised the Constitution for not including a Bill of Rights, arguing that it would betray the people of the United States into accepting a complicated system of government. She also raised concerns about the potential for human error, corruption and greed.
Warren anonymously published the pamphlet 'Observations on the new Constitution' in 1788, in which she made sweeping criticisms of the proposed government. Her pamphlet was reprinted in newspapers across several states, and 1,700 copies were distributed in New York as a counter to the ratification-supporting 'The Federalist Papers'.
Warren's arguments, along with those of other Anti-Federalists, ensured that a Bill of Rights would be added to the Constitution in 1791.
She anonymously published a pamphlet titled *Observations on the New Constitution*
Mercy Otis Warren was an Anti-Federalist, meaning that she was opposed to the ratification of the Constitution. She objected to the proposed Constitution on the grounds that it did not include a bill of rights. In 1788, she anonymously published a pamphlet titled *Observations on the New Constitution*, in which she raised standard anti-federalist concerns, including a lack of a bill of rights in the new constitution. She attacked assumptions behind the entire proposed government outlined in the new constitution, making sweeping criticisms that the new constitution left too much room for human error, corruption and greed. Her pamphlet was reprinted in newspapers across several states, and anti-federalists in New York printed and distributed 1,700 copies of it as a counter to the 500 copies of the ratification-supporting *The Federalist Papers*.
Warren's pamphlet was written in her usual theatrical style. She and her husband, James Warren, both felt compelled to make arguments against ratification, each anonymously publishing their own anti-federalist arguments. Pressure from Anti-Federalists like Warren ensured that a Bill of Rights would be added to the Constitution in 1791.
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She criticised the entire proposed government outlined in the Constitution
Mercy Otis Warren was an Anti-Federalist, meaning that she opposed the ratification of the Constitution. In 1788, she anonymously published the pamphlet *Observations on the New Constitution*, in which she criticised the entire proposed government outlined in the Constitution.
Warren's pamphlet was written in her usual theatrical style, where she raised standard anti-federalist concerns, including a lack of a bill of rights in the new constitution. She attacked assumptions behind the entire proposed government outlined in the new constitution, making sweeping criticisms that the new constitution left too much room for human error, corruption and greed. She argued that a constitution alone would:
> Betray the people of the United States into an acceptance of a most complicated system of government, marked on the one side with the dark, secret and profound intrigues of the statesman … and on the other, with the ideal project of young ambition … to intoxicate the inexperienced votary.
Warren's anti-federalist arguments created strong opposition in each of the states to adopting the new constitution. The three most crucial states in the vote for ratification were Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York, all three states making the inclusion of a bill of rights in the constitution a condition for ratification. Pressure from Anti-Federalists like Warren ensured that a Bill of Rights would be added to the Constitution in 1791.
She argued that the Constitution would betray the people of the United States
Mercy Otis Warren was an Anti-Federalist, meaning she was opposed to the ratification of the Constitution. She criticised the Constitution for its technical shortcomings, arguing that it left too much room for human error, corruption and greed. She also attacked the assumptions behind the entire proposed government outlined in the new Constitution.
Warren anonymously published the pamphlet *Observations on the New Constitution* in 1788, in which she raised standard anti-Federalist concerns, including a lack of a bill of rights in the new Constitution. She argued that a Constitution without a Bill of Rights would:
> Betray the people of the United States into an acceptance of a most complicated system of government, marked on the one side with the dark, secret and profound intrigues of the statesman … and on the other, with the ideal project of young ambition … to intoxicate the inexperienced votary.
Pressure from Anti-Federalists like Warren ensured that a Bill of Rights would be added to the Constitution in 1791.
Frequently asked questions
Warren was an Anti-Federalist, meaning she was opposed to the ratification of the Constitution. She objected to the fact that the proposed Constitution did not include a bill of rights.
She anonymously published the pamphlet 'Observations on the New Constitution' in 1788, which was reprinted in newspapers across several states. In it, she raised standard anti-federalist concerns, including a lack of a bill of rights in the new constitution. She also attacked assumptions behind the entire proposed government outlined in the new constitution, making sweeping criticisms that the new constitution left too much room for human error, corruption and greed.
Yes, anti-federalists in New York printed and distributed 1,700 copies of 'Observations on the New Constitution' as a counter to the 500 copies that had been distributed of the ratification-supporting 'The Federalist Papers'.
