Reflections on "The Late Remarkable Revolution in Government": Aedanus Burke and Samuel Bryan's Unpublished History of the Ratification of the Federal Consitution
In the aftermath of their loss in the battle over ratification of the Constitution, a number of prominent Antifederalists started work on histories intended to vindicate their cause. Mercy Otis Warren, Abraham Yates, and Aedanus Burke all began histories of the Constitutional struggle. Only one of these Antifederalist histories, Mercy Otis Warren's History oj the Rise, Progress and Termination oj the American Revolution, Interspersed with Biographical, Political and Moral Observations, eventually found its way into print. While Abraham Yates's unfinished history has figured prominently in modern scholarly discussions of Antifederalist thought, scarcely any attention has been devoted to Aedanus Burke's historical project. This neglect is especially unfortunate, for Burke's project was in many respects the most complex historical inquiry undertaken by anyone involved in the ratification struggle.