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Absolutism Vs Anti Federalism

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Governments typically derive their authority from those citizens that live within the country. Whether the citizens vote for the elected officials, vote for representatives, or in some instances, even vote for certain decisions within the government (think: Brexit), the citizens are considered in theory to be the ones with the most power within each country. Problems arise, however, when the decisions and opinions of the citizens do not align with those within the government, leading to strain between the two “ruling” and “ruled” groups. Expecting situations such as these, the founding fathers created various documents to ensure that the goals of the two groups aligned, and that the rights of the citizens were protected above all. James …show more content…

Holding the Constitution as an authoritative power required faith in the federal governments, but the government had not yet been established for enough time to warrant that faith and trust. Through the creation of this document, Madison intended to prove to the Anti-federalists and the citizens that the federal government did indeed intend to protect the rights of the citizens (Berkin, 41). Madison worked to stop the Anti-federalist followers from solely following those beliefs, and also wanted to prevent the Anti-federalists from passing their amendments that would work to limit the powers of the government. Additionally, Madison also wanted to establish a trusted relationship between the people and the government, hoping that the document would foster faith in the …show more content…

The founding fathers wrote these documents in a time period with entirely different influences regarding how a government should be structured, such as a focus on avoiding imperial influences and monarchies, and one that was structured during a constant fear of war (Berkin 41). Additionally, the meanings of these documents are continually purposely misconstrued, and so should be regarded with caution as to the ways in which the writings can be utilized for personal gain in times where the original intentions are somewhat moot. Overall, however, the government is still one that draws its authority from the consent of the governed, so those who are elected to represent the citizens of the United States should keep in mind the true desires of its

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