Federalists & Anti-Federalists
Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

The contextual framework of the historic debate between federalists and anti-federalists involved major institutional expansion and reform as well as the political sphere. Although both groups of leaders embraced popular accountability as the standard of government legitimacy, their respective approaches differed quite significantly; reflecting different perspectives on the perils of citizen participation, concentrated power, and the need for effective and energetic government (Borowiak, 2007).

The leaders of the anti-federalists' movement, Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams and Thomas Jefferson purported that the constitution of the United Stated should not be ratified. The basis of their argument was contingent upon, in their opinion, ratification gave too much power to the national government; pre-empting state authority; there was no bill of rights; the executive branch would be too powerful; congress, due to the "necessary and proper clause" provided too much power, and the national government could maintain an army even in…...

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References:

Borowiak, C. (2007). Accountability debates: The federalists, the anti-federalists, and Democratic deficits, Journal of Politics, 69(4), 998-1014.

Hamilton, A., & Madison, J. (1787). The federalist papers. New American Library: Penguin Group.

Storing, H. (1981). What the anti-federalist were for. The University of Chicago

It is interesting to note the statement of Semonche that Antifederalists tended to live inland where small farming operations were located while Federalists preferred to live along the coastlines in high commercial growth areas of the country. The Federalists view of the Constitution was one that questioned the compromises required in ratification of the Constitution as compared to the provisions of the 'Articles of Confederation'. However, there was more faith in and respect among Antifederalists for legislative power and it was their belief that "bicameralism and the separation of powers" was the appropriate means for checking the system. The Federalists viewed these checks and balance devices as merely checks on the power of the legislature and a tool in driving the power of the executive and judicial branches of government. Concerns of the Antifederalists included concerns over taxation of citizens and the possible enslavement of citizens to the government…...

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Bibliography

Semonche, John E. (2003) the Debate Over the Constitution: Federalists vs. Antifederalists. Yale University 2003 Online available at: www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1982/3/82.03.03.x.html

Hannah, R. (nd) Federalists vs. Antifederalists: The Nature of Government & the Constitution. Online available at: cmweb.pvschools.net/~pburr/docs/amhis/12th%20Grade%20-%20Government.pdf

Siemers, David J. (2002) Ratifying the Republic: Antifederalists and Federalists in Constitutional Time. Stanford University Press. 2002.

Federalist/anti-Federali
In many ways, the initial political parties in the fledgling nation of the United States were the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. As the names of these partisans indicate, many of their ideals and objectives were diametrically opposed to one another. For the most part, Federalists were in favor of a strong centralized government, while Anti-Federalists were more committed to states rights and autonomy. As history indicates, in the end the Federalist viewpoint decidedly won and played a far more influential role in the shaping of the country -- especially in contemporary times -- than that of Anti-Federalists.

Federalists favored a strong centralized government largely because of what was perceived as the inefficacy of a decentralized government in which individual states had a great degree of authority and independence from one another. The Articles of Confederation was one of the major impetuses for the Federalist viewpoint. The Articles provisioned states rights and…...

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References

Estes, T. (2011). The Connecticut effect: The Great Compromise of 1787 and the history of small state impact on electoral college outcomes. Historian. 73(2), 255-283.

Rowland, Y. (1977). The Articles of Confederation and perpetual union. American Bar Association Journal. 63(11), 1572-1575.

Van Cleve, G.W. (2014). The Anti-Federalists' toughest challenge. Journal of the Early Republic. 34(4), 529-560.

Limits of Power
As detailed in Federalist Paper No. 67, although the executive power of the new American republic had certain absolute executive privileges, such as the ability to fill vacancies in the Senate, most significant powers were either checked by Congress or balanced out by the other two branches of government. For example, Congress had the power to declare war, not the president. The independence of the judicial branch was also an argument that no branch could grow more powerful than the other two. Hamilton argued in Federalist Paper No.77 that: "the answer to this question has been anticipated in the investigation of its other characteristics, and is satisfactorily deducible from these circumstances; from the election of the President once in four years by persons immediately chosen by the people for that purpose; and from his being at all times liable to impeachment, trial, dismission from office, incapacity to…...

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Reference

Formative v. summative assessments. (2014). CMU. Retrieved from:

 http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html

Some of these ideas recurred after the establishment of the Constitution, yet the political unity began to fade. In 1800, the first anti-Federalist president was elected through Thomas Jefferson. Still, the issue of slavery became a matter for increasing tensions. At the moment of the Louisiana Purchase, the question over slave states and abolitionist ones became inevitable. In this context, the aspect related to the powers of the central government reemerged taking into account the fact that in the current conditions of the representative spectrum, some states, depending on the population, would acquire more influence in the legislative body.

At the same time, the Jefferson administration represented an essential point for the 19th century history and for the Anti-Federalists because his abuse of power and of the Constitution in the Louisiana Purchase pointed out the danger the country could face in the conditions of a strong central government. Still, even after…...

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Bibliography

Cornell, Saul. The Other Founders: Anti-Federalism and the Dissenting Tradition in America, 1788-1828. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1999.

Gibbons, Michael T. The Federalists, the Antifederalists and the American Political Tradition. New York: Greenwood Press, 1992.

Federalist and Anti-Federalist Beliefs
The objective of this study is to determine if the beliefs of the Federalists were more convincing than those of the Anti-Federalists and if so then why they were more effective. The arguments of the anti-federalist is that liberty cannot be secured when it is held by a government that is one that holds a great deal of power and is distant from the population and that decentralization is a requirement for freedom to exist. (Wilson and Diluli, p. 41)The Federalists favored the establishment of a strong central government on the basis of the Constitution while Anti-federalists were opposed to this due to their concern that the influence of the states would be lost with the national government's power. The Federalists favored state power being limited while the Anti-Federalists supported the states in their acquiring and maintaining power and influence. The Anti-Federalists held that the Bill of…...

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References

Wilson, J. And Dilulio, J. (2001) American Government. 8th Ed. Houghton Mifflin.

Anti-Federalist Papers
The historic Anti-Federalist Papers were essays composed against the 1787 U.S. Constitution's ratification. They represented diverse opposition-related aspects, and focused on various criticisms of the newly formulated constitution. The articles appeared under a fictitious name "Brutus." The general belief is that Brutus was actually Robert Yates; others claim the author of those articles was Melancton Smith or Thomas Tredwell. All the articles were directed at New York's inhabitants.

Summary/Analysis of the Anti-Federalist Papers (Brutus No.2 and Brutus No. 5)

Anti-federalist articles published under the penname of 'Brutus' in New York Journal editions voice a number of concerns about, and protests against, the fresh Constitution. hile numerous Constitutional adversaries composed and published Anti-Federalist essays, those composed by 'Brutus' are considered the most effective in resisting the Constitution. The second article under the false name studies individual rights connected with the social compact model put forward by Locke, in addition to objecting…...

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Works Cited

Kurland, Philip B. and Lerner, Ralph. The Founders' Constitution: Rights - Brutus, no. 2, 1987,   Accessed 3 Sept. 2016.http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/v1ch14s26.html .

Kurland, Philip B. and Lerner, Ralph. The Founders' Constitution: Article 1, Section 8, Clause 1- Brutus, no. 5, 1987,   Accessed 3 Sept. 2016.http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/a1_8_1s7.html .

Anti-Federalist & ill of Rights
The Anti-federalist vs. Federalist argument is one of the most heated political debates the United States has ever seen. Though the length of the actual debate was relatively short, lasting from October of 1787, when the final version of the constitution was approved by the first congressional convention to June of 1788 when Virginia was the first to ratify the constitution of the United States. The concepts ideas and standards that were set forth by both the anti-federalists and the federalists as well as other more moderate politicians are expressed throughout the foundational documentation of the United States.

Most notably the ill of Rights, or the first ten amendments of the United States Constitution are a reflective example of the compromises and victories of both sides but this can be seen elsewhere in the foundational documentation as well. Knowing this and being able to demonstrate it through…...

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Bill Of Rights" Thomas Legislative Information on the Internet  http://memory.loc.gov/const/bor.html 

Cato, New-York Journal, November 22, 1787 "To the Citizens of the State of New York." Constitution Society Homepage  http://www.constitution.org/afp/cato_05.htm 

Bill Of Rights" Thomas Legislative Information on the Internet

The Federalists advocated a strong central government while the Anti-Federalists advocated state governments. The former feared that division would lead to fighting and instability. The latter feared that centralized power would lead to the kind of totalitarianism that the American Revolutionaries had just victoriously opposed in the War for Independence. This paper will describe why I would align myself with the Anti-Federalists because of their aversion for centralized power.
The difference between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists was all about what kind of government the United States would have. The Federalists wanted to ratify the Constitution (which we have today) because it defined the ways in which states would be subject to a federal government and the ways in which they would be free to act on their own. The view of the Federalists was that the Constitution would protect the states from "domestic factions and convulsions" and provide unity and…...

Introduction
The penning of the American Constitution during the 1787 Philadelphia convention was followed by its ratification. This formal process delineated within Article 7 necessitated at least 9 states’ agreement to implement the Constitution, prior to actually enacting it (Pole, 1987). Whilst the Federalists supported ratification, Anti-Federalists were against it.

Those opposed to the constitution’s ratification claimed that it accorded disproportionate power to federal authorities, whilst robbing local and state bodies of their power, excessively. According to Anti-Federalists, the American federal government wouldn’t be able to adequately represent its citizens owing to the size of the nation and its population which deemed it impossible for federal branches to locally respond to citizens’ concerns (Lewis, 1967; Amar, 1993). Moreover, they were concerned about the absence of the provision of criminal jury trials, besides the absence of a bill of rights within the Constitution, and desired guaranteed protection of a few fundamental freedoms for citizens, including freedom of speech…...

Project Title: Ratifying the U.S. Constitution I chose this topic because I feel that our country went from being a loose union of individual states to being a nation with a central government when the Constitution was ratified. This was more important than the War for Independence, because it dictated the type of government we would have. The Federalists, led by Hamilton, wanted a strong central government. The Anti-Federalists wanted every state to be its own government. The guiding question for me is: Should the U.S. have ratified the Constitution or stayed a loose confederation?
I found most of my research online, using Google to help me with my web browsing. For primary sources, I was able to locate all the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers at Constitution.org and Yale.edu. This gave me a sense of what the actual debate was about at the time. For modern day perspective, I found an interesting…...

ratification of the U.S. Constitution pushed the nation to extremes: on the one hand were the Federalists, led by men like Alexander Hamilton and James Madison -- men who promoted the idea of a central government (the reasons for which they enumerated at length in their "Federalist" papers); on the other hand were the Anti-Federalists, led by men like obert Yates and George Clinton (Yates being the presumptive author of the pseudonymously penned Anti-Federalist papers under the name of "Brutus"). Each side had its own view, not just of government, but of humanity and the way in which political society should be organized. This paper will present the underlying fundamental perspective of each side and show why I would have sided with the Anti-Federalists.
The Federalist plan to organize the federal government was to make it capable of overriding the individual autonomy and authority of the individual states, which the…...

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References

Brutus No. 1. (1787). Retrieved from  http://www.constitution.org/afp/brutus01.htm 

Brutus No. 3. (1787). Retrieved from  http://www.constitution.org/afp/brutus03.htm 

Federalist No. 6 (n.d.). Retrieved from  http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed06.asp 

Federalist No. 7 (n.d.). Retrieved from  http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed07.asp

1787 Constitutional ConventionThe Constitutional Convention of 1787 was held in Philadelphia. It was convened for a very specific purpose, which was to revise the Articles of Confederation. These Articles were the nations first constitution, which somelike Hamilton and Madisonfound to be inadequate in establishing a strong central government. The Articles of Confederation had been more for states than for a federal government. Thus, as far as the national government went, its power was weak and the states were basically like independent countries. The Convention was called by the Congress of the Confederation to address the issues, like the Shays ebellion, that were troubling the country. All thirteen states were invited to send delegates. However, hode Island chose not to participate, as it was opposed to any changes that would strengthen the central government. In total, 55 delegates attended. Notable attendees included George Washington, who was elected as the president of…...

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ReferencesBeeman, R. (2023). The Constitutional Convention of 1787: A Revolution in Government. Retrieved from   History. (2023). Constitutional Convention begins. Retrieved from  https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/constitutional-convention-begins  https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/white-papers/the-constitutional-convention-of-1787-a-revolution-in-government 

Federalist No.
Primary Source Analysis

On September 17, 1787 the Constitution of the United States was signed by 39 delegates from 12 states in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after spending the summer debating the final form in the first Constitutional Convention. The Constitution represented in part an attempt to prevent the dissolution of the confederacy of states formed by the shared goal of independence, by forming a strong federal government (hodenhamel, 1987, p. 6).

Once the Constitution had been signed it had to be ratified by at least nine states before the federal government could be formed. To urge the states to ratify, a series of influential essays were published in New York newspapers by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay, under the pseudonym Publius (hodenhamel, 1987, p. 45). This collection of essays was called The Federalist Papers (Genovese, 2009).

Historians have since recognized that the most influential of the essays, The Federalist…...

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References

Genovese, Michael A. (Ed.). (2009). The Federalist Papers. New York: Palgrave MacMillan. Retrieved from  http://lib.myilibrary.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/Open.aspx?id=276510&src=2 

Madison, James. (1787, Nov. 23). Federalist No. 10: The size and variety of the union as a check on faction. New York Packet. Retrieved from   Also available in Genovese, 2009, p. 49.http://faculty.rcc.edu/sellick/Fed10.pdf .

Rhodenhamel, John H. (1987). Letters of liberty: A documentary history of the U.S. Constitution. Constitutional Rights Foundation, Los Angeles. Microfiche.

Federalist Relevance
Madison's Relevance Today: Modern Echoes of Federalist No.

The Federalist Papers penned by James Madison, John Jay, and others in defense of the Constitution during the hotly contested period of its ratification remain some of the most significant documents in American political history to this date. Detailing the arguments of some of the men who helped to frame and influence the composition of the foundational body of laws and structure of government of what is now the most powerful nation on Earth, reading the Federalist Papers is akin to reading the minds of those that have helped to shape global politics and political ideals. At the same time, the fact that so many of the arguments made in these documents are now foregone conclusions, and that the rights and reasons invoked (not to mention the language in which they are invoked) seem so antiquated can make the Federalist Papers appear…...

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Works Cited

Holdorf, William. The Fruad of Seat Belt Laws. Accessed 7 May 2012.  http://www.thefreemanonline.org/features/the-fraud-of-seat-belt-laws/ 

Madison, James. Federalist No. 10. 1787. Accessed 7 May 2012.  http://www.constitution.org/fed/federa10.htm 

McCormack, John. PPP Poll: 33% of Voters Say Gay Marriage Should be Legal, 57% Say It Should Be Illegal. Accessed 7 May 2012.  http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/ppp-poll-33-voters-say-gay-marriage-should-be-legal-57-say-it-should-be-illegal 

NARLA. (2012). Politicization: A New Era for Women's Bodies. 2012. Accessed 7 May 2012.  http://prochoicenc.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/politicization-a-new-era-for-womens-bodies/