# Lessons from the Anti-Federalists **URL:** **By** William J. Watkins, Jr., Trevor Burrus, Aaron Ross Powell **Published:** September 15, 2017 --- William J. Watkins, Jr. joins us for a discussion on the Articles of Confederation and the ideas of the Anti-Federalists. William J. Watkins, Jr. joins us for a discussion on the Articles of Confederation and the ideas of the Anti-Federalists. Were the Articles of Confederation a failure? How did the country work under them and how is the US Constitution different? What can we learn from the Anti-Federalists? Watkins is a research fellow at [the Independent Institute](http://www.independent.org/). **Show Notes and Further Reading** Watkins's book is [_Crossroads for Liberty: Recovering the Anti-Federalist Values of America's First Constitution_](https://www.amazon.com/Crossroads-Liberty-Recovering-Anti-Federalist-Constitution/dp/1598132792) (2016). Trevor mentions [this episode of Free Thoughts with Gary Gerstle](https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/free-thoughts/liberty-and-coercion-the-paradox-of-american-government-from-the-founding-to-the-present).