The birth of this nation was not without its labor pains. Right from the start there was dissension among the Founding Fathers – especially when it came to drafting a new constitution.

The “federalists,” stressing the inadequacy of the Articles of Confederation, called for a stronger national government. The “antifederalists,” on the other hand, believed that this centralization of power could only lead to tyranny.

States’ rights advocate Richard Henry Lee saw the inherent problems of what the federalists were proposing: “To say that a bad government must be established for fear of anarchy is really saying that we should kill ourselves for fear of dying.” He didn’t want the people of the various states to lose the relative autonomy to which they had grown accustomed.

In that spirit, I would like to introduce the States’ Rights Review, a weblog dedicated to the principles espoused by antifederalists like Richard Henry Lee. Let this be a rallying cry for all concerned citizens to hold their elected officials accountable, to help reign in federal power and to stop the erosion of liberty.