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The Address and Reasons of Dissent of the
Minority of the Convention of the State of
Pennsylvania to Their Constituents
Anti-Federalist dissent from the proposed Constitution is adequately represented by this document presented to the Pennsylvania Convention on December 18, 1787, by the minority (Anti-Federalists). Similar protests against ratification were made by Patrick Henry in Virginia and by able opponents in other
States.
It was not until after the termination of the late glorious contest, which
made the people of the United States an independent nation, that any defect was discovered in the present confederation. It was formed by some
of the ablest patriots in America. It carried us successfully through the
war, and the virtue and patriotism of the people, with their disposition
to promote the common cause, supplied the want of power in Congress.
The requisition of Congress for the five per cent. impost was made before the peace, so early as the first of February, 1781, but was prevented
taking effect by the refusal of one State; yet it is probable every State in
the Union would have agreed to this measure at that period, had it not
been for the extravagant terms in which it was demanded. The requisition was new molded in the year 1783, and accompanied with an additional demand of certain supplementary funds for twenty-five years.
Peace had now taken place, and the United States found themselves laboring under a considerable foreign and domestic debt, incurred during
the war. The requisition of 1783 was commensurate with the interest of
the debt, as it was then calculated; but it has been more accurately ascertained since that time. The domestic debt has been found to fall several
millions of dollars short of the calculation, and it has lately been considerably diminished by large sales of the Western lands. The States have
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