At the pivotal moment in the history of the United States of America, ratification of the Constitution was championed by James Madison, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton in a series of newspaper articles known as the "Federalist Papers". In answer to these arguments and as a way of pointing up flaws and weaknesses in the Constitution itself, a number of political thinkers (who mostly used pseudonyms) argued against ratification through articles and speeches which have collectively come to be known as the "Antifederalist Papers". This edited collection of readings from Antifederalist thought was first published in 1985. This edition contains a revised and updated interpretative essay from the editors and is expanded to cover the period of the founding from 1776 to 1791.