Crossroads for Liberty

“Watkins has produced a splendidly inspiring look at the Anti-Federalists, who were able presciently to warn us of the perils to come. Watkins not only gives us a superb exposition of their thought, but he reminds us of some of the wisdom of our First Constitution (the Articles of Confederation, which are helpfully reproduced as an appendix), and offers us some remedies for our ailing polity.” – Stephen B. Presser, Raoul Berger Professor of Legal History Emeritus, Pritzker School of Law, Northwestern University; author, The American Constitutional Order“Counterproductive federal programs, government debt, endless federal usurpation of states’ reserved powers, and unresponsive party politics are among the most notable characteristics of contemporary American political culture…. In Crossroads for Liberty, William J. Watkins Jr. recalls Anti-Federalists’ warnings that things would be so, and he asks, ‘Could the Articles of Confederation have been revised to meet the exigencies of the union without destroying the self-government won in the Revolution?’ After concluding that the Anti-Federalists were right in insisting that they probably could have, he proposes reforms in line with Anti-Federalist thinking. This is a bracing book.” – Kevin R. C. Gutzman, professor of history, Western Connecticut State University; author, James Madison and the Making of America“Crossroads for Liberty is a very valuable contribution to the literature and will be of interest to both students and scholars of American constitutional history and government.” – Joyce Lee Malcolm, Patrick Henry Professor of Constitutional Law and the Second Amendment, George Mason University

William J. Watkins, Jr. is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute and author of the book Crossroads for Liberty: Recovering the Anti-Federalist Values of America’s First Constitution. He received his B.A. in history and German summa cum laude from Clemson University and his J.D. cum laude from the University of South Carolina School of Law, and his LL.M. with merit from the University of London. Mr. Watkins is a former law clerk to Judge William B. Traxler, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and he is President of the Greenville, SC, Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society. He has served as a prosecutor and defense lawyer, and has practiced in various state and federal courts. He lives in Greenville, South Carolina.