Opposed to or acting against the forming or maintaining of a confederation; resistant to political union.
From anti- + confederative (from confederate + -ive, adjective suffix). This adjectival form allowed political writers to describe actions, policies, or movements opposing confederation without naming specific people.
This adjective reveals the nuance of early American political debate—anticonfederative policies could include laws protecting state sovereignty, commercial restrictions between states, or constitutional amendments designed to limit federal power.
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