Loyalists Vs. Patriots

Establishing an effective system of government has proven to be an obstacle for centuries. Fortunately, the Founding Father recognized the common flaws of governments, as did many common men in the colonies. Consequently, the ratification of the constitution was vital for a healthy governmental system, though it did bring about much debate and persuasion. There were two main positions which people took during the ratification, those being the Anti-Federalist and the Federalist. The Anti-Federalist were a diverse assembly involving prominent men such as George Mason and Patrick Henry, and also the most unlikely of individuals, those being Farmers and shopkeepers. The chief complaint about the Constitution was that it confiscated the power from the sates, thereby robbing the people of their power. Oppositely, the Federalist believed in removing some control from the states and imparting that power to the national government, thus making America partially national. Throughout this debate, many letters were shared between the two sides, and eventually, it led to the federalist winning over the colonies.

Both Loyalists and Patriots faced several tribulations in events leading up to the American Revolution as the feelings of rebellion slowly progressed and created a great sense of tension. The Loyalists that inhabited the colonies, however, endured severe harassment in the times leading up to the war. They suffered through actions of disrespect and humiliation. They were, in other words, tortured for their position on the side of the English Law. This treatment forced many Loyalists to flee and return to England or to spread out and live elsewhere. Personal attacks and the stealing and destruction of their property were common nuisances that the Loyalists endured in times of trouble. Another example of the extremely cruel punishment towards

In 1787, the Constitution was written and submitted for ratification by the 13 states, but not everyone agreed with it. There were two groups of though. One was the Anti-federalists, who opposed the Constitution and the other group were the Federalists, who supported it. The Anti-federalists were people who supported the Articles of Confederation because they were doing well under them. They were mostly poor people from rural areas and were supported by the big states. They believed that the Constitution did not secure their rights and gave the central government too much power. The Federalists were mostly the wealthy people who lived in or near city areas and were supported by the smaller states. They believed that the separation of

Then there were Anti- Federalists who believed that the bulk of duties should continue to be left to each state's own discretion, so that there would be no misrepresentation of the people it governed. It's left to say that neither side saw eye to eye, but would eventually reach a "compromise", the Federalists would institute their version of the Constitution which had a clear notion of Central Government and it's duties. The Anti-Federalists would receive an additional amendment to the Constitution (The Bill of Rights), which would protect the personal liberties they were convinced a Central Government would revoke. Both sides seemed fairly satisfied with the outcome, though there was still fear of that popular tyranny from the outside. But the act of tyranny they should have feared was their own, for the Framer's motives for creating a new constitution was really protecting the few (the rights of the Wealthy) against the many (the non-elite).

In the year 1787, early America, officials and delegates came together to form a constitution that would restore the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation was the attempt at creating a government for the newly independent America. But, it soon became clear that the document was not strong enough to govern America. Therefore, delegates who came to be known as Federalists and Anti-Federalists issued major arguments on the ratification of the U.S Constitution. Federalists were individuals who wished to unify the 13 states in negotiation, and

After the United States Constitution was written in the Constitutional Convention of 1787, America had to vote to either ratify the new Constitution, or to keep their old Articles of Confederation. A group of nationalists called the Federalists tried to convince Americans that they should vote to ratify the new Constitution while a group called the Anti-Federalists tried to persuade Americans that they should keep the Articles of Confederation instead. The Federalists argued that the government under the Articles of Confederation was too weak and that the national government needed to be more powerful to better provide for the welfare of the people. The Anti-Federalists argued that there was nothing wrong with their current government and that

Even though in 1787 all the delegates at the constitutional convention where thought of as federalists, two political groups where founded with opposite views of the constitution right after john Adams was administrated in 1800. The democratic republicans changed their views on the constitution when they where elected into office, they also kept Hamilton’s financial plan. Many federalists in the Hartford convection had a strict view when they looked at objectives of the war of 1812. During 1801 – 1816 Thomas Jefferson and James Madison had a strict and loose view of the constitution while they where president. The federalists also viewed the constitution this way while they conquered over the federal government.

During the Revolutionary period of the 19th century, there were two dominating political parties that had conflicting beliefs: the Democratic-Republicans and the Federalists. The Democratic-Republicans were strict-constructionists and believed that the constitution should be taken as literally as possible. The Federalists on the other hand, were broad constructionists and believed that just because the constitution did not explicitly state something it didn't mean there wasn't an implied meaning. The characterization of these two political parties were shown to be inaccurate during the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, because both men found themselves straying from their beliefs in certain circumstances in order to insure the best for their country.

After Washington’s historic term as president, he warned in his farewell address to the American citizens against political parties and foreign affairs and encouraged them to unify as one republic. Despite Washington’s advice to the nation, political parties and foreign affairs were yet established that divided the nation into two opposing factions: Federalists and Republicans. The Federalists, led mainly by Alexander Hamilton, were the citizens who favored the Constitution. Anti-Federalists, on the other hand, were the citizens who opposed the ratification of the Constitution and sided with Jefferson to form the Democratic-Republican Party. While Federalists envisioned America with a strong, complex, and centralized government, Republicans wanted America to remain a small federal government where states and local governments held the majority of the power.

Not long after the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, the American citizens began to disagree about how the United States should operate. They were conflicted about how much power the federal government should possess, as stated in Chapter 10 of History in the Making, which says that “at heart, Federalists and Republicans disagreed about how much power to vest in the central government or, conversely, about how capable the people were in governing themselves” (Locks). Additionally, the citizens had differing opinions about who should be allowed to hold political power, whether manufacturing and trade or farming should be the central source of revenue, and how strictly the Constitution should be interpreted. These disputes led to the formation

The US Constitution was written in 1787, it was later ratified in 1788 then taken in 1789. Supporters of the ratification of the Constitution where known to be the Federalists on the contrary those opposing of the ratification of the Constitution where Anti-Federalists. The immediate problem was not just excepting the Constitution but also for a concern of the government. The Anti-Federalists started a movement due to opposing of the Bill of Rights not being in the Constitution. The Anti-Federalists did not want a strong central federal government. They saw the constitution to be too powerful, possibly as a potential threat.

During 1787 through 1790, the formation of the Constitution caused much controversy in America. Many of the greatest political figures joined together to agree upon what is best for the governmental structure of their nation. The two political parties engaged in these discussions were known as the Federalists and the Anti-federalists. In the novel entitled Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow and the speech “Virginia Should Reject the Constitution” given by Patrick Henry, the authors exhibit the ideological differences and similarities between federalists and anti-federalists, including their reasons for either supporting or opposing the constitution and a strong central government.

After the Constitution was ratified, two distinct political factions emerged in the 1790s. The Anti-Federalists were called Democratic-Republicans and led by Thomas Jefferson, disliked the idea of a strong government as they were suspicious of the propertied class and cherished their liberties. The Democratic-Republicans and the Federalists often differed from each other in their responses to Hamilton’s plans, the French relations and later on the X Y Z affair would further divide the parties. During the 1790s, there were many important domestic and foreign issues, like the immense debt that the colonies incurred during the war, their relations with Britain and France and the rising social tensions. The domestic affairs usually had a bigger

Although Patriots had been largely united leading up to and throughout the Revolutionary War, afterwards, in the newly formed United States, differences in opinions formed splits in the government. The first was between Anti Federalists, who advocated for state power over national power, and the Federalists, who wanted a stronger central government. The Federalists held the majority in Congress, but eventually, the Federalists split themselves into two groups, one lead by Hamilton and the other lead by Jefferson and Madison, torn over financial policy and issues concerning the French Revolution. Hamilton envisioned a manufacture based society, and implemented policies that coincided with this, whereas Jefferson saw a more agrarian society as

On the road to the American Revolution, the colonists could either choose to be a loyalist or a patriot. It all depends on how that certain colonist thought was better for their family. themselves, and the rest of the colonies. When thinking of the loyalist, people might think that there were a lot of them but really only 20% of the population of the colonies were loyalist. They lived in all colonies, both rural and urban areas. Some areas had more loyalist like New York and the Carolinas. They were appointed by the crown, successful merchants, Quakers because they were pacifist, and many more. Germans, Native and African Americans, and indentured servants were mostly loyalist because Britain promised their freedom for the loyalty. The loyalist