The Other Federalist Papers: Tench Coxe

“Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birth-right of an American.”If he’s even remembered at all today, people today generally look at Tench Coxe as the founder who forcefully advocated for the natural right to keep and bear arms. That, in and of itself, is worthy of admiration, but Coxe was part of a bigger story. He was one of the most influential supporters of the Constitution during the ratification debates.Coxe wrote numerous essays in support of the Constitution throughout the ratification debates of 1787-88, and they were widely published in newspapers across the United States. While scarcely mentioned today, his work was far more influential at the time than the Federalist Papers, despite the latter being much better known in modern times.Most significantly, his writing focused a great deal of attention on the Anti-Federalist assertion that the Constitution would lead to “consolidation” - the centralization of power in the federal government. He forcefully argued that the limited nature of the powers delegated to the federal government and the large body of powers reserved to the states would preclude consolidation. In the process of making this case, he compiled the most comprehensive lists of specific federal and state powers found during the ratification debates.Coxe covered a wide range of other topics in his various essays as well, including the structure of the Congress and the executive branch contrasted with Parliament and the Crown, the safeguards against a powerful standing army, the potential consequences of the failure to ratify, and the impossibility of satisfying all of the Anti-Federalist objections. Coxe’s writing serves as a valuable resource today as we seek the original, legal meaning of the Constitution as understood by the founders and ratifiers, and the limits it places on the federal government. Read more