In an address to the Maryland House of Delegates in November 1787 and in numerous newspaper articles, Martin attacked the proposed new form of government and continued to fight ratification of the Constitution through 1788. He lamented the ascension of the national government over the states and condemned what he saw as unequal representation in Congress. He owned six slaves of his own but he opposed including slaves in determining representation (most slave owners supported counting slaves for the purposes of determining representation because this would increase the power of Slave States), and he believed that the absence of a jury in the U.S. Supreme Court gravely endangered freedom.