An Old Whig was the pseudonym used by an anonymous Anti-Federalist writer during the U.S. Constitution ratification debates. The authorship is often attributed to John Dickinson, a Pennsylvania statesman.
An Old Whig’s essays criticized the Constitution for centralizing power and diminishing state authority. He argued that the lack of a Bill of Rights left citizens vulnerable to government overreach. An Old Whig called for amendments to ensure the protection of individual liberties and a fair distribution of power between the states and the federal government.
Expresses early support for a federal constitution but warns that the proposed system is effectively irreversible, risks silencing public dissent, and may entrench unaccountable power indefinitely.
Examines James Wilson’s defense of the Constitution and rejects his claim that federal power is limited, arguing instead that the “necessary and proper” clause and supremacy clause grant Congress virtually unlimited authority without a bill of rights to restrain it.
Condemns the treaty and supremacy clauses for enabling the president and Senate to override state laws, warns of unchecked federal power without a bill of rights, and defends trial by jury as essential to preserving liberty from civil abuse and creeping despotism.
Argues that a single vast republic is unsustainable and warns that without a confederation model and a firm bill of rights, the proposed Constitution will dissolve state authority, endanger liberty, and drift toward monarchy and despotism.
Warns that without a bill of rights, liberties like conscience, speech, and due process are left unprotected, and argues that the president’s vast powers verge on monarchy, risking a future descent into military tyranny.
Argues that granting Congress unlimited taxation power will strip states of revenue, reduce them to shadows, and risks the collapse of republican government into centralized despotism.
Rejects the claim that amendments are impossible, proposing that state conventions should suggest changes, call for a second Continental Convention, and only then decide on ratification—ensuring unity without surrendering public judgment.
Urges that amendments be made before adopting the Constitution, warning that reliance on future rulers or the complex Article V process is naïve, and that once power is granted, it is nearly impossible to reclaim.
