Centinel Antifederalist Essays
The Centinel essays relevant to the Federalist-Antifederalist Debates were published in the Philadelphia Independent Gazetteer and the Philadelphia Freeman鈥檚 Journal, beginning in October 1787 and ending in April 1788. Additionally, the first nine essays were printed as a collection in New York in 1788.
Although their authorship is not certain, many scholars attribute them to Samuel Bryan, who held various state-level political positions in Pennsylvania after the War for Independence. Centinel returned in late 1788, after the Constitution had been ratified, with six more essays, aimed at influencing voters as they prepared to elect Pennsylvania’s first officials to the new government.
“Centinel Revived,” the name under which several dozen additional essays were published in 1789, wrote about proposed amendments to the Constitution. These two additional series, however, are outside the scope of Federalist-Antifederalist Debates, and are therefore not included here.
- Centinel I, October 5, 1787
- Centinel II, October 24, 1787
- Centinel III, November 8, 1787
- Centinel IV, November 30, 1787
- Centinel V, December 4, 1787
- Centinel VI, December 25, 1787
- Centinel VII, December 27, 1787
- Centinel VIII, December 29, 1787
- Centinel IX, January 8, 1788
- Centinel X, January 12, 1788
- Centinel XI, January 16, 1788
- Centinel XII, January 23, 1788
- Centinel XIII, January 30, 1788
- Centinel XIV, February 5, 1788
- Centinel XV, February 22, 1788
- Centinel XVI, February 26, 1788
- Centinel XVII, March 24, 1788
- Centinel XVIII, April 9, 1788