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Disposed to Seek Their True Interests: Representation and Responsibility in Anti-Federalist Thought

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2009

Joel A. Johnson
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Abstract

Conventional wisdom holds that the Anti-Federalists wanted representative bodies to mirror the electorate, and that the Federalists envisioned representation as a device for refining and enlarging popular views. This characterization is accurate in a broad sense, but it overlooks an important element in Anti-Federalist thought. I argue that certain key Anti-Federalists, in particular the Federal Farmer and Melancton Smith, synthesized the “mirroring” ideal and the “refining” ideal into a theory of representation that incorporated the best features of each system. This hybrid theory, though overwhelmed in the ratification debates of 1787–88, nevertheless provides a creative alternative model for effective national union.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Review of Politics , Volume 66 , Issue 4 , Fall 2004 , pp. 649 - 674
Copyright
Copyright © University of Notre Dame 2004

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References

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46. I see no reason why the hybrid theory could not be extended to include well-qualified women in the category of “best-informed” people. However, for reasons of clarity and historical accuracy, I retain the masculine usage here.

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54. It is difficult to pick out a stellar example of a hybrid representative among modern politicians, but several figures have approached the ideal. One might argue that what preserved Bill Clinton throughout his marred presidency was the widespread perception that he was both extraordinarily competent and genuinely disposed to address the concerns of ordinary Americans. Ronald Reagan also seemed to fit comfortably within the role of a hybrid representative, unlike George H. W. and George W. Bush who, in order to divert attention from their patrician background, have been careful to emphasize their ties to rural Texas. In the most recent race for the White House, Democratic vice-presidential candidate John Edwards seemed much more at home within the hybrid model—as the articulate, successful son of a mill worker—than did his running mate, John Kerry.

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