Week 1- Initial Discussion Post
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Political Science
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Jan 9, 2024
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Uploaded by ElderWorldWolverine3
Week 1: Initial Discussion Post
Topic One: Federalists v. Anti-Federalists Debate
:
After the Constitutional Convention of 1787 had ended and the proposed U.S. Constitution had been submitted to the American people for ratification, public debates raged between those who supported the U.S. Constitution (the Federalists) and those who opposed it (the Anti-Federalists).
One of the central issues in the debates was whether it would be possible to unite the 13 states into one great nation, under one federal government, in such a way that the individual states and their respective governments would not be eliminated - and with them, the means of securing the
liberties of the citizens of America. After reviewing the readings on this topic in the Week 1 Readings & Videos folder, consider the following:
Why did the Founders gather to replace the Articles of Confederation with the new U.S. Constitution?
What did each group believe that influenced the U.S. Constitution?
Which group promoted federalism as a system of government and why?
Which group promoted individual civil liberties and why?
Which viewpoint do you think is more important as it affects our lives today?
Response:
The Founding Fathers include Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison. These Founding Fathers and many
more men gathered to replace the Articles of Confederation with the U.S. Constitution because they believed a stronger and powerful government was needed. The Anti-Federalists believed that the creating the U.S. Constitution wouldn’t work on a national level but would have potential on a state level. They believed it would give too much power to the government, that the Bill of Rights wouldn’t be able to protect the citizens in the state. The Federalists believed that it necessary for the U.S. Constitution to establish the government with such power as it would help the relationships between states. The Federalists also believed in delegating powers. The Founders promoted federalism as a system of government. Their reasons for promoting federalism were to avoid tyranny, allow more to participate politically, and to gain new programs
and ideas from the states. James Madison, who drafted the 10 Amendments which make up the Bill of Rights was one of the men that were a part of the Federalist group that promoted civil liberties. The viewpoint that I believe is most important that affects our lives today is Anti-
Federalism. My reasoning for why I believe this viewpoint is due to the current power the Federal government holds. Anti-Federalists did in fact predict that establishing the Constitution
would create more power for the Federal government and less for state government which is what’s happening right now. References:
Bill of Rights (1791)
. Bill of Rights Institute. (n.d.). https://billofrightsinstitute.org/primary-
sources/bill-of-rights Independence Hall Association. (n.d.). The Founders and Federalism
. ushistory.org. https://www.ushistory.org/gov/3a.asp Would you have been a Federalist or an anti-federalist?
. Bill of Rights Institute. (n.d.-b). https://billofrightsinstitute.org/would-you-have-been-a-federalist-or-an-anti-federalist
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