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Robert Yates (Brutus) Position: Anti-Federalist

 New York grew rapidly during the 18th Century. Located just below the New England states, New York was relatively large with an abundance of waterways.The state had a large population of about 314,000 people based on the 1790 Census. Slaves made up a large portion of the New York population. Industry consisted of agriculture, the production of glass and textiles, and shipyards and iron mining. In the 1700s, New York had one of the largest economies in the thirteen colonies. Social structure and politics were dominated by the merchant and landlord occupations.
 * Representative of New York **

 Robert Yates was born January 27, 1738 in Schenectady, New York. He was born into a merchant family and was the oldest of 12 children. He began his career as a surveyor, later deciding to study law. In 1760, he became licensed to practice law on his own after working as a clerk for William Livingston in New York. Yates joined the Albany Committees of Correspondence, then continued on to be elected to the New York Supreme Court in 1777. In 1787, he was appointed to represent New York at the Constitutional Convention. In 1778, he became a New York State ratifying convention, elected as an anti-federalist representative. Yates was selected to be the Chief Justice of the New York State Supreme Court. Robert Yates died on September 9, 1801 in Albany, New York.
 * Occupation and Background **

In 1787, Yates was appointed as one of the New York representatives in the Constitutional Convention. He served alongside Alexander Hamilton and John Lansing. As a Anti-Federalist, Yates stood strongly opposed to the ratification of the Constitution. During the Convention, he thought the concern would be revising the Articles of Confederation. However when the idea of ratifying the Constitution was brought to light, Yates became frustrated. He was highly against strengthening the federal government and expressed his ideas openly during the Constitutional Convention. However, he realized that his Anti-Federalist ideas were making no headway and left the Convention on July 10, 1787. In December of that year, Yates partnered with John Lansing and they wrote a joint letter addressed to Governor Clinton, expressing their views against the Constitution. After his experience in the Convention, he proceeded in his opposition by writing 16 essays against the Constitution, under the pen name "Brutus."
 * Constitutional Convention **

Elected to the New York State ratifying convention in 1787, Yates continued to expressed his Anti-Federalist ideals. In this state convention, Robert Yates worked to prevent the adoption of the Constitution. He was the most vocal delegate of the Convention, openly supporting the sanctity of individual liberties. However, after the Constitution was ultimately ratified, Yates pledged his support as an act of “patriotic duty.”
 * New York State Ratifying Convention **


 * Convention Arguments **

As an Anti-Federalist, Robert Yates fully opposed the ratification of the Constitution. He argued that by giving federal government more power with the Constitution, people would be forced to give up their liberties. He was very much against a consolidated government and believed that the powers of government belong to the individual states. He used the idea of republicanism by stating that people run the republic, not representatives of people. Yates predicted that if the federal government gained more power, the people would become dissatisfied, and that when this happened there would be no way to take down the government than by force. Overall, Yates believed that Congress had too much power. He sought to take away the powers of Congress to appoint and impeach officials, for it gave them both judiciary and executive powers. Robert Yates enemies included Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and Edmund Randolph. His friends were John Lansing, George Mason, Thomas Jefferson, Richard Henry Lee, and George Clinton.

Bibliography:


 * "Anti-Federalist Papers: "Brutus"." //Index//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. .

"A Biography of Robert Yates 1738-1801 < Biographies < American History From Revolution To Reconstruction and beyond." //Home Let < Rijksuniversiteit Groningen//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. .

"Delegates to the Constitutional Convention:Robert Yates." //TeachingAmericanHistory.org -- Free Seminars and Summer Institutes for Social Studies Teachers//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. .

Dudley, William. "A Republic Must Be Small and Uniform to Survive." //The Creation of the Constitution: Opposing Viewpoints//. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1995. 106-114. Print.

"Economy of New York - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. .

"Robert Yates." //New York State Museum, Albany, New York//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. .