Who are the Founding Fathers? Robert Yates

A member of the New York Delegation to the Constitution convention of 1787, Robert Yates left the Convention early, never to return and sign the Constitution. Rather he would become one of the main opponents to the Constitution under the pseudonym Brutus of the Anti-federalists, whom collectively succeeded in having a Bill of Rights ratified. The son of Joseph and Maria Yates, Robert Yates was born in Schenectady, NY, on January 27, 1738. He received a classical education in New York City and later studied law with William Livingston and also became a surveyor. In 1760 Robert yates was admitted to the New York bar, and moved to Albany where in 1765 he married Jannetje Van Ness and eventually having six children.

Early on in the the struggle for American liberties he as a leader of the Albany's Patriots. Even though he did not sign the Albany Sons of Liberty constitution of 1766, he did become prominent in the Albany opposition to the Stamp Act. Between 1771 and 1775 Yates was a member of the Albany board of aldermen. Pre-Revolution he considered himself a Whig, whose vigilance against corruption and emphasis on the protection of liberty appealed to many in the all  Thirteen Colonies. By 1774, he had joined the Albany Committee of Correspondence and stood among its first members when the committee's activities became public in 1775. During this time he remained a member of the Albany common council, even though it purpose was being replaced by the extra-legal Committee of Correspondence, Safety, and Protection.

General Welfare (Part 6) The Anti-Federalist concern, limitless power.

Just as the Federalist Papers were written to encourage the ratification of the Constitution [New York in particular], the Anti-Federalist Papers were written either to oppose ratification, or delay ratification until certain and specific issues were addressed. Unlike the more commonly known Federalist Papers which were written by three individuals (James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay) and to principally the People of New York, the Anti-Federalist were written by a much larger group of individuals, including some who attended the Convention of 1787 but refused to sign the final document [the exact number is unknown due to the number of pseudonyms used] and they were written to the people of numerous states. The Anti-Federalist did not prevent even one State from eventually ratifying the Constitution, even Rhode Island who did not attend the Convention of 1787 ratified the Constitution on May 29, 1790. But the Anti-Federalist were perhaps the strongest force in causing a Bill of Rights to be required in exchange for their ratification, to secure individual and States Rights.