The Federalists And The Anti Federalists

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.

To further strengthen the rights of the people, The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791. With only the first ten amendments, it is no accident that two amendments, 9 and 10, specifically define the Constitutions purpose to protect rights, given to the government from the people; and the powers of the government are “only those delegated to it by the Constitution on behalf of the people” (Spalding, Page 145).

The concept of theory versus reality is a constant in everyday life. Every person has experienced a situation in which the idea in their head was much better than the outcome. All actions have consequences, and sometimes those consequences are worse than others. In the case of the Federalists vs. The Anti-Federalists, was the drafting of the Constitution actually worth it in the end? When the colonists first came over seas from Great Britain there was one thing that was vastly agreed on—a change in how government works and runs was necessary for the future of America. Two major groups eventually formed behind this way of thinking, the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. The Federalists were under the impression that the formation of a constitution and a strong federal government was needed. On the opposite political end there were The Anti-Federalists, were opposed to the idea of a constitution because they worried that the government and the people running it would become too corrupt and powerful. They also believed that a smaller central government was needed with larger governments at the state levels. This smaller central government would be similar to what was formed under the Articles of Confederation. Both sides bring very good arguments, and it is impossible to truly know whether one side’s plan of government would have been better than the other. But when looking at the facts of where our country came from, and where our country is

The Anti-Federalist put up a long and hard fight, however, they were not as organized as the Federalists. While the Anti- Federalist had great concerns about the Constitution and National government, the Federalist had good responses to combat these concerns. The Federalist were and for the Constitution and feel the Article of Confederation were not worth ratifying, these should be scrapped altogether. They felt that the Articles limited the power of congress, because congress had to request cooperation from the states. Unlike the Anti-Federalist, the Federalist organized quickly, had ratifying conventions, and wrote the Federalist papers to rebut the Anti- Federalist arguments.

Introduction: “The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.” stated Thomas Jefferson. The thirteen colonies created the Article of Confederation to establish a national government during the Revolutionary War. Several years later, the delegates met at the Constitutional Convention and created a new document known as the United States Constitution in 1787. However, it resulted in two major political parties, Federalists and Anti-federalists, that debated over the nature of the government.

In America today there are many political parties which include the Democrats and the Republicans. The beginning of political parties started in 1787 with the federalist, then later on the anti-federalist in 1796. Alexander Hamilton was the leader of the federalist party. Thomas Jefferson was the leader of the anti-federalist; who called themselves the Democratic-Republicans. Our first president, George Washington warned us about having parties and the danger of them. However, "not until Congress debated the ratification and implementation of Jay’s Treaty with Great Britain did two political parties clearly emerge"; the Federalist and the Anti-Federalist. Today the most influential parties are the Democrats and the Republicans. These parties win all of the presidential elections as of today. Political parties formed because the United States was beginning to grow and expand. Many people had different opinions and so political parties were formed. People were concerned about the how the new government was going to be organized.

While the anti-Federalists believed the Constitution and formation of a National Government would lead to a monarchy or aristocracy, the Federalists vision of the country supported the belief that a National Government based on the Articles of the Confederation was inadequate to support an ever growing and expanding nation.

In early 1788, Federalists and Anti-Federalists held fierce debates over how the state of Rhode Island would vote on Constitutional ratification. Two models of democracy were contested: the Anti-Federalists argued in favor of mass participation in the form of a state referendum, and the Federalists argued in favor of elite representation in the form of a state convention. On the whole, while the state referendum model used in the debates in Rhode Island allows for greater participation and an opportunity for equal representation, it also leaves policy decisions vulnerable to public ignorance. At the same time, the state convention model provides an inherently undemocratic solution to the problems presented by mass participation by allowing

There are a lot of differences between the federalists and the antifederalists. Today i will tell you some.

The prestige that America has acquired is an accomplishment that has been sought after and pursued for centuries. America’s success is due to its foundation from the U.S. constitution, allowing a national government both with and for the people. Our current constitution was made possible by federalists like John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and their supporters. Their contributions to the constitution are vital to the success that the Nation has attained. Without a moderate central government, America would not have its impeccable mixture of power, security, and freedom. If the Anti-Federalist had trumped the fight over the developing government, the United States of America would not be as successful and independent as it is today due to interlinked factors such as unity, security, and economic success.

After Shay’s Rebellion and the nation on the brink of bankruptcy it was clear that the Articles of Confederation would not be sufficient. So began the great battle for the balance between order and freedom. The main point of dispute between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists in their debates over the ratification of the Constitution surrounded the question of what powers were necessary in order to insure the security of the nation. The Federalists believed that a strong central government was needed, for reasons of national security and economic prosperity. However the Anti-Federalists were determined on retaining the sovereignty of the states and, in turn, their secured political freedom.

After the Americans won the Revolutionary War, the Americans feared a central government that was too powerful. To meet these wishes The Articles of Confederation were created, it had a weak central government and gave states the overall power. This was running the United States into the ground, which is not what was planned. They decided a change was necessary to save their country. Each representative from the thirteen colonies came together to write The Constitution. The supporters of ratifying the constitution were called Federalists and those against ratifying it were called Anti-Federalists.

One thing that the Anti-Federalists were adamant about was the creation of a Bill of Rights, as to make sure that the rights of the people were preserved. “Their magna charta and bill of rights have long been the boast, as well as the security, of that nation. I need say no more, I presume, to an American, than, that this principle is a fundamental one, in all the constitutions of our own states; there is not one of them but what is either founded on a declaration or bill of rights, or has certain express reservation of rights interwoven in the body of them. From this it appears, that at a time when the pulse of liberty beat high and when an appeal was made to the people to form constitutions for the government of themselves, it was their universal sense, that such declarations should make a part of their frames of government. It is therefore the more astonishing, that this grand security, to the rights of the people,

Federalists and anti-Federalists had many different views when it came to the new Constitution. Anti-Federalists were worried that the new Constitution would have too much power. On the other hand, Federalists believed that with America being so diverse, would essentially “check and balance” each other as James Madison puts it. He believed that a society was going to be formed where the government would be unable to slip into tyranny because of the limited powers the government would have. This would be because of checks and balances as well as giving power to each state. Anti-Federalists were unsure and thought that the government should be handled more by the people. They thought because America was so big that they could come together and all not be on the same page. A

Largely influenced by the anti-federalist party, the Bill of Rights is a list of ten amendments to the Unites States Constitution. These amendments are a list of individual freedoms for the people. For example, people have the freedom of speech, press, religion, right to assembly, and right to petition the government. The federalist Constitution also has a checks and balances system and limited terms. This system keeps the federal government from gaining too much power. In George Washington's Farewell Address, he describes what the Constitution and the Bill of Rights is about. "The unity of government which constitutes you one people is also now dear to you. It is justly so, for it is a main pillar in the edifice of your real independence, the support of your tranquility at home, your peace abroad; of your safety; of your prosperity; of that very liberty which you so highly prize." (Washington, page