Historic Context

Dear Editor:

Thank you for your article ‘Anti-Federalists: The Forgotten Foun­ders’. I truly appreciate history, especially American history.

I would like to add the following info to the article that may help people fully understand the intentions of some of the Anti-Federalists.

You mention that the Anti-Federalists were concerned that the Constitution granted too much power to the federal government and may veer toward monarchy. However, for Anti-Federalists like Patrick Henry, George Mason, Richard Henry Lee, and James Monroe, their fear may have to do with their own economics, as each of these men were slaveholders, until the day they died (an estimate total of hundreds), and they believed a constitution would provide rights to all peoples including slaves and that slavery would then be abolished. Yes, the fear of a monarchy was something to consider based on our history, but for many Anti-Federalists (especially those from the south), it was for a selfish reason, money at the expense of freedom of others.

Tom Last