The Federalists and Anti-Federalists

Summarize this: The Federalists and Anti-Federalists The question of ratification quickly divided the people in the states. One group, known as the Federalists, favored the new Constitution. Many of the Founders were Federalists. Much of their support came from merchants and others in the cities and coastal regions. The other group, called the Anti-Federalists, opposed the new Constitution. Much of their support came from the inland farmers and laborers, who feared a strong national government.

The Anti-Federalists criticized the Constitution for having been drafted in secret. They claimed the document was extralegal, not sanctioned by law, because the convention had the authority only to revise the old Articles of Confederation, not to form a new government. The Anti-Federalists further argued that the Constitution took important powers away from the states.

The Anti-Federalists’ strongest argument was that the Constitution lacked a bill of rights to protect citizens from their own government. The convention had, in fact, thought of adding a list of people’s rights. In their talks, they reasoned that it was not necessary to have a bill of rights because the Constitution did not give the government the power to violate the rights of the people.

This reasoning was not good enough for the Anti-Federalists. They warned that without a bill of rights, a strong national government might take away the rights that were won in the Revolution. They demanded that the new Constitution clearly guarantee citizens’ freedoms. One of the strongest opponents of the Constitution was Patrick Henry, the passionate delegate from Virginia. He insisted that rights not clearly given to the people could be taken away from them by rulers.

The Federalists claimed that only a strong national government could protect the nation from foreign enemies and solve the country’s problems. The Federalists also pointed out that eight of the states already had a bill of rights in their state constitution. In the end, the Federalists promised to add a bill of rights as the first order of business when the new government met.

Summarize this:

Progress Toward Ratification

With the promise of a bill of rights, more American citizens were in favor of the Constitution. Many small states ratified it quickly because they were pleased with equal representation in the new Senate. By 1788, the legislatures in Virginia and New York had not yet held a vote on the new Constitution. Everyone knew that without the support of those two large and powerful states, the Constitution would not succeed. The Federalists won in a close vote in Virginia on June 25, 1788.

To help win the battle in New York, vocal supporters published more than 80 essays defending the new Constitution. Alexander Hamilton and James Madison wrote most of the essays, called The Federalist Papers. Madison brilliantly answered the opposition’s fears about having a big government. In The Federalist No. 10, he said that the more the government is extended to include everyone, the less likely it is that a majority will attack the rights of other citizens. On July 26, 1788, the Federalists in New York won by three votes. In The Federalist No. 39, Madison defines a republic as “a government which derives all its powers directly or indirectly from the great body of the people, and is administered by persons holding their offices . . . for a limited period.”

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The New Government Begins Its Work

Once the new government was established, George Washington was elected president and John Adams vice president. Voters also elected senators and representatives. On March 4, 1789, Congress met for the first time in Federal Hall in New York City, the temporary capital. To fulfill the promises made during the fight for ratification, James Madison introduced a set of amendments during the first session. Congress approved 12 amendments. The states ratified 10 of them in 1791. These amendments became known as the Bill of Rights.

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