https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2024/11/18/tench-coxe-forgotten-federalist-who-helped-influence-ratification-of-the-constitution/

Tench Coxe: Forgotten Federalist who Helped Influence Ratification of the Constitution

By: Mike Maharrey

For most people, discussions about the meaning of the Constitution begin and end with the Federalist Papers. These essays enjoy immense popularity today mostly due to the fame of their authors – Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. But in their day, they didn’t have widespread influence on the ratification itself.

On the other hand, Coxe’s numerous essays did.

It’s important to remember that the Federalist essays were written specifically for a New York audience. Each one is even addressed directly “To the People of the State of New York.” More significantly, they weren’t circulated to any great extent outside of that state during the ratification period.

Coxe addressed many of his essays “To the People of the United States,” indicating they were intended for a broader audience. And while the Federalist essays got virtually no play outside New York, much of Coxe’s work was widely distributed and published in other newspapers in virtually every state where ratification was contested.

His writing serves as a valuable resource today as we seek to learn the original, legal meaning of the Constitution as understood by the founders and ratifiers, and the limits it places on the federal government. ......