Mercy Otis Warren

Writing as “A Columbian Patriot”

Mercy Otis Warren was one of the most important political writers of the revolutionary era — and the most important female political philosopher in early American history. Her "Observations on the New Constitution," published under the pen name "A Columbian Patriot," was one of the most widely distributed Anti-Federalist pamphlets. She also wrote a three-volume history of the American Revolution that remains a primary source for scholars today.

Key Contributions

Published "Observations on the New Constitution" — one of the most circulated Anti-Federalist pamphlets

Warned that the Constitution would create an aristocratic government disguised as a republic

Argued that the absence of term limits would create a permanent ruling class

Wrote satirical plays attacking British tyranny during the Revolution

Authored a three-volume "History of the American Revolution" — one of the first comprehensive histories

Key Writings

1788

Observations on the New Constitution

A brilliant critique warning about aristocratic capture, the absence of term limits, and the dangers of a permanent judiciary.

1805

History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution

One of the first comprehensive histories of the Revolution, written from a perspective that valued liberty above institutional power.

Speculative Essay

What Would Mercy Otis Warren Say About the Modern Anti-Federalist Party?

Mercy Otis Warren warned that the Constitution would create an aristocratic government disguised as a republic. She predicted that without term limits, a permanent ruling class would emerge. Today, Mitch McConnell has served in the Senate for 40 years. Nancy Pelosi served in the House for 36 years. Dianne Feinstein died in office at age 90. Warren was not speculating — she was describing the future with perfect clarity.

Warren was particularly concerned about the intersection of wealth and political power. She wrote that "the seeds of aristocracy" were embedded in the Constitution's structure. Today, the average senator's net worth exceeds $1 million. Congressional stock trading generates insider profits. Campaign finance laws allow unlimited corporate spending. The aristocracy Warren predicted is not coming — it arrived generations ago.

As a woman excluded from formal political participation in her own era, Warren would be especially attentive to who is excluded from political power today. She would note that while formal legal barriers have fallen, structural barriers remain. The cost of running for office, the dominance of party machinery, the gerrymandering of districts — these create a system that is technically open but practically closed to ordinary citizens.

Warren would champion the Anti-Federalist Party's commitment to local governance as the most effective path to genuine representation. She understood that aristocratic capture is easier at the national level, where voters are anonymous and distant. At the county level — where citizens know their representatives personally — accountability is real, not theoretical.

If Mercy Otis Warren were alive today, she would be the movement's most prolific writer. She would produce essays, podcasts, and documentaries exposing the aristocratic capture she predicted. She would remind us that the Revolution was fought not just against British tyranny but against the principle of tyranny itself — wherever it originates.

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