Anti-Federalist Library

August 26, 2025

Readers,

Welcome to the launch of version 0.34 of the Anti-Federalist Library. As you’ve likely noticed, we’ve introduced some exciting new features. The first is a search bar powered by https://lunrjs.com/, allowing for a deep-dive of the library’s content without having to leave. The second is this blog, which we’ll be using both to communicate updates about the library and to publish content related to the Anti-Federalist papers and speeches.

The next round of updates will largely focus on two tracks. One will be posting papers from lesser-known Anti-Federalist authors, such as Philadelphiensis and Elbridge Gerry, as well as expanding our collection of Anti-Federalist speeches.

Our current collection is predominately the “low-hanging fruit,” where the author’s association with the Anti-Federalist movement is widely accepted. It’s important to remember that the label of Anti-Federalist was seen as a derogatory one in the late 1700s, and the authors themselves would likely dispute the association. It’s only through a contemporary lens that we consider them to belong to a single “Anti-Federalist” body of work. As such, our efforts to expand the collection must always be accompanied by a robust examination of what qualifies as Anti-Federalist canon. This is all the more important for rarer texts and those whose authorship remains shrouded in mystery.

The other will be the the introduction of a tagging system, aimed at highlighting some of the core themes that animated these writers and orators. Our hope is that these tags will allow us to weave a more comprehensive narrative of Anti-Federalist thought.

We look forward to deploying those updates before the end of the year.