The Anti-Federalist Papers and the Constitutional Convention Debates (Signet Classics)

The Federalist Papers defended the Constitution and its strong central government. The Anti-Federalist Papers represented the dissenting opinions of such statesmen as Patrick Henry and Melancton Smith, who saw threats in the Constitution to the rights and liberties so recently won from England. Although the Anti-Federalists lost, they came close to winning, and their opinions represent an important contribution to the American political tradition.