America 250 celebrations on April 18, 2026 in Philadelphia will commemorate Federalists, Antifederalists, and Miss Dalley\u2019s boarding house where members of the founding generation boarded during the Constitutional Convention<\/p>\n
Madison, Wisconsin, Nov. 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — <\/p>\n
Center for the Study of the American Constitution<\/p>\n
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The Center for the Study of the American Constitution announces the discovery of a historic speech which shines new light on the ratification of the Constitution by New York. The speech by Melancton Smith was delivered at the New York State ratification convention in Poughkeepsie on 23 July 1788. The critical manuscript was discovered by historian John P. Kaminski, PhD, and Adam P. Levinson, Esq., working with a team of archivists and librarians at the New York State Library.<\/p>\n
In the newly uncovered speech, Smith, the Antifederalist floor leader in the New York convention, explained his fateful decision to support ratification. After five weeks of debate, Smith pivoted to join forces with Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists. In so doing, Smith provides an example of a profile in courage, acting in the national interest, at great personal cost.<\/p>\n
A transcript of the speech has been published in The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution and can be found here: https:\/\/csac.history.wisc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2025\/11\/Melancton-Smith-Speech-23-July-1788.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n New scholarship about this discovery can be found on the website StatutesandStories.com:<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.statutesandstories.com\/blog_html\/breaking-news-melancton-smiths-speech-discovered-in-albany\/<\/a><\/p>\n For the past 237 years, historians have debated which were the most important events during the campaign to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Among the most consequential speeches from 1787 to 1788 were James Wilson\u2019s address at the Pennsylvania State House Yard, John Hancock\u2019s speech proposing recommendatory amendments at the Massachusetts ratification convention, and Edmund Randolph\u2019s speech at the Virginia ratification convention announcing his reasons for supporting ratification even though he had refused to sign the Constitution in Philadelphia. Smith\u2019s speech is comparable to these critical moments, if not more historic.<\/p>\n While speeches during the first two weeks of the New York ratification convention were actively reported by the press, by mid-July detailed records become more sparse. Thankfully this discovery allows readers to better understand Smith\u2019s thinking as he attempted to convince enough of his Antifederalist fellow delegates to join him in gaining a slim majority in ratifying the Constitution by a vote of 30 \u2013 27.<\/p>\n Story Continues <\/p>\n Melancton Smith’s July 23 speech was summarized in the\u00a0New York Journal, but until now a copy of the speech was unavailable<\/p>\n The convention’s journal merely records motions and votes not speeches<\/p>\n In beautifully written prose, Smith asked whether New York will join \u201cthe great American family\u201d or \u201cshall we withdraw ourselves from it and seek our fortunes separately.\u201d Smith argued that New York should take its place in the \u201cfamily mansion\u201d \u201cwith brotherly kindness and confidence,\u201d relying on \u201ccommon interests and common prudence\u201d to obtain an improved Constitution. Smith explained that he \u201cdid not approve the building as it stands,\u201d but admitted that the \u201cwhole is made of good materials.\u201d<\/p>\n While he was a dedicated Antifederalist, Smith recognized that \u201c[i]n the short period of nine months\u201d the Constitution had been adopted by ten of the thirteen states. Smith was concerned by the danger that New York City and the southern counties might secede from New York if the state convention rejected ratification. Smith took solace in the fact that the union was supported by \u201cmany wise good men, men who have given the fullest evidence of their love of their country.\u201d For Smith, the goal of amending the Constitution could best be obtained if New York aligned with other states who were also recommending amendments. The speech concludes with the observation that America was witnessing \u201cone of the most astonishing events in the history of human affairs.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this year, fourteen pages of Melancton Smith\u2019s personal notes of the debates in Poughkeepsie were transcribed and published for the first time. Smith\u2019s convention notes had been held in private hands after being sold at auction at Sotheby\u2019s in 2017. Historians are invited to dive into these previously unknown primary sources evidencing a seminal moment in American history. In the weeks to follow, we look forward to releasing additional scholarship on this and related topics, including the authorship of the essays of the Antifederalist Federal Farmer and Brutus.<\/p>\n In April of next year educational programming will be held in Philadelphia celebrating \u201cAmerica 250,\u201d the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. At the center of the celebrations in Philadelphia on April 18, 2026 will be the unveiling of a historic marker commemorating Miss Dalley\u2019s boarding house on Market Street, the location where Samuel Adams, Gouverneur Morris, Alexander Hamilton and other members of the founding generation boarded during seminal moments in early American history. For example, while he is not a household name, Gouverneur Morris, the \u201cpenman of the Constitution,\u201d boarded at Miss Dalley\u2019s boarding house during the Constitutional Convention with Alexander Hamilton and Elbridge Gerry.<\/p>\n A round table discussion will be held at Philadelphia\u2019s historic Congress Hall at 4:30 on April 18. While the event is open to the public, space is limited. Tickets are available upon request.<\/p>\n Here are additional links which provide a preview of the scholarship involving the authorship of the pseudonymous Antifederalist essays by Brutus and Federal Farmer. Newly compiled evidence demonstrates that the sixteen Brutus essays were written by Melancton Smith before he switched sides to support ratification \u201cin full confidence\u201d that recommended amendments would soon be considered in a second constitutional convention.<\/p>\n https:\/\/csac.history.wisc.edu\/2025\/04\/01\/identifying-the-federal-farmer-unravelling-the-mystery-of-an-antifederalist-treasure\/<\/a> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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