Should the newly formed country of America be governed by a strong central government or be a loose confederation of independent states?
That was the question the American founders debated 250 years ago — and it was a debate that was recreated recently at the Rye Free Reading Room in the first of a series of presentations from Revolutionary Rye 250, a committee of the Rye Historical Society which is devoted to researching, preserving, and celebrating the United States’ Revolution-era heritage.
Inspired by the Revolution’s 250th anniversary and the semi-quincentennial of the Declaration of Independence, the event focused on Rye’s local narrative and the pivotal role that Rye played in that history.
“Framing the Constitution: From Crisis to Closure,” was the first in a series of Sunday afternoon discussions marking the Revolution in 1776 and the Constitution signing in 1787. Five high school students — Harry Moss, Jack Dorin, Jason Dean, Caden Powers, and Ryan Pauta led by Rye Country Day School’s department chair Clemmie Everett — conducted a vigorous debate between Federalists like James Madison and Anti-Federalists like Patrick Henry.
The Federalists argued for a stronger government to enforce laws, regulate trade, and raise an army when needed. They also sought to promote democracy by balancing the role of representatives elected by the people, with the number of representatives for each state determined by population, and the role of senators appointed by the states, with each state having two senators.
The Federalists also favored a strong executive, the president, to put into effect laws that had been passed by Congress, and to lead the country through crises.
The Anti-Federalists defended the Articles of Confederation, which called for a central government without a true executive branch, and they defended the right of each state to approve any changes in the government’s powers.
In addition, the Anti-Federalists defended Confederation, which provided for a legislative body called the Congress of Confederation, a single chamber with each state having one vote. They wanted to preserve the sovereignty of the states.
A question and answer session followed.
The next RR250 discussion is scheduled for Nov. 23 when Rye resident and Rye Record contributor Howard Husock will lead a discussion on “Slavery in My Neighborhood: A Story of Rye.”
Other programs include:
Feb. 1: “Prelude to the Revolution in a New York Town” led by Lear Beyer.
March 1: “Bringing History Alive through Storytelling” led by D.J. Hennes & Brian Carso
April 26: “Cowboys, and Skinners: The Destruction of Rye during the Revolutionary War” led by Jan Kelsey.
All programs begin at 3 p.m.
