Montezuma's Sarcastic Approval of the Constitution
Montezuma was the pen name of an Anti-Federalist whose sarcastic support of the Constitution is absolutely hilarious.
Montezuma
As with many of the Anti-Federalist Papers, the Essay by Montezuma was written under a pen name.
Also like many of these Papers, we will never know the true identity of the author.
Published in Philadelphia’s Independent Gazetteer just one month after the signing of the Constitution and often referred to under the title A Consolidated Government is Tyranny, the person writing under the pseudonym Montezuma hilariously signs off as President of the “unanimous order of the lords spiritual and temporal.”
The Essay
Montezuma’s Essay is extremely fun to read.
It actually argues FOR the Constitution, but is layered thick with sarcasm.
He discusses just how great it is going to be for aristocrats who can use the Senate to smother the rights of citizens.
He also presents the House of Representatives as little more than a place for common people to send officials who can be closely watched (and their opinions swayed) by the more powerful Senate.
Behind the Pseudonym
It is also important that we reflect on the choice of pen name.
While most contemporary authors chose to use identities taken from ancient Rome, Montezuma comes from the Aztec Empire.
Although there is no specific known reason for this choice, it seems that the reference is specifically to Moctezuma II who was the ruler of the Aztec Empire when Hernan Corez showed up and began and began the Spanish Conquest of modern Mexico. Interestingly, this all went down about 250 years before the Revolution, which is approximately how far we currently are from the American Founding.
In a fashion, this author must have felt as if a larger government was coming to destroy his State and take control.
Extreme? Maybe. But the ratification debates brought out the passions of people. For the Anti-Federalists, the passion they felt was often a consuming fear.
This Essay is LEGITIMATELY FUNNY. I suggest you read it here.
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I’ve put a lot of time into reviewing the Federalist Papers, so if you want to read more, check them out here:
