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Federalist Vs Anti Federalists

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The process of ratifying the constitution created a basis for feverish debate amongst the founding fathers. The delegates differing ideologies and beliefs created one of the first political parties in the new nation—the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. Due to this political factionalism the inclusion of the bill of rights were ultimately added to the constitution and thus ratified by the minimum required of votes—nine out of thirteen states—in 1788. To understand how the constitution became to be, one must grasp the ideals that the federalist and anti-federalist stood for, how key figures such as Patrick Henry and James Madison contributed to the constitution, and why their contributions were significant. To begin, the Federalists were those who favored the ratification of the …show more content…

The opposing viewpoints of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists created lengthy debates on how the newly found country would run the government and what rules would be considered the supreme law of the land. The anti-federalists thought the government held too much power and wanted the inclusion of the Bill of Rights (Young, slide 30). Patrick Henry, one of the most ardent anti-federalist, advocated extensively for the inclusion of the bill of rights (Young, “Found Fathers…”). Henry constantly voiced his discontent with the constitution and questioned aloud why the inclusion of the Bill of Rights were not added. As the delegate of Virginia, he led the people of Virginia to reject the ratification of the constitution and promised them that by his efforts and their rejection that the Bill of Rights would be included (Young, “Found Fathers…”). Henry, along with other founding fathers, was very influential in the adoption of the bill of rights in the final version of the

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In Massachusetts, the Anti-Federalists, led by James Madison, argued that the Bill of Rights was necessary to protect people rights from the government because the government might get too powerful and hurt people’s rights and freedom. They had this fear because they suffered from the British tyranny and worried that the highly centralized government would make the miserable history happen again. Nevertheless, in favor of the government, the Federalists insisted that the Bill of Rights were unnecessary because the Constitution already limited the power of government, so it would not get too powerful. Also, they worried that people might forget to list certain rights in the Bill of Rights, so if later they were fighting for their rights that were not written in the document, the government might use it against them. Eventually, a compromise was made through a vote in Massachusetts; Anti-Federalists agreed to ratify the Constitution without the Bill of Rights, but they should also submit amendments for the Congress to consider adding the Bill of Rights.

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138 Words | 1 Pages

The framers of the constitution presented their work to the states for ratification. To become law of the land, nine states had to approve it. However, two groups with different opinions formed in each state. Supporters of the constitution were called Federalists whose leaders, such as John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton, wrote a series of essays called the Federalist Papers. Those in opposition of the constitution called themselves Anti-Federalists.

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After the Declaration of Independence in 1787, the Federal Government turned to the creation of the Constitution in which delegates from 13 states convened to make compromises on their beliefs for the betterment of a nation. Although the Bill of Rights was initially not a part of the Constitution, the Federalists thought that it was crucial to ensure ratification of the Constitution. This ratification was one of the main reasons why the Bill of Rights needed to be added. Federalists feared a strong, central government, and created a Bill of Rights in order to prevent government abuse. Others believed that a dominating Government could prohibit rights in the future, which would not necessarily be expressed in the Bill of Rights.

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Hence Federalists came up with the Bill of Rights as a way to get the Constitution ratified and for people to really see a needed change. The Bill Of Rights which lists specific prohibitions on governmental power, lead the Anti-Federalists to be less fearful of the new Constitution . This guaranteed that the people would still remain to have rights, but the strong central government that the country needed would have to be approved. The 1804 Map of the nation shows that even after the ratification of the United States Constitution there still continued to be “commotion” and dispute in the country.(Document 8) George Washington stated that the people should have a say in the nation and government and everything should not be left to the government to decide.(Document 3) Although George Washington was a Federalist many believed he showed a point of view that seemed to be Anti-Federalists. Many believed that The Bill of Rights needed to be changed and modified and a new document’s time to come into place.

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Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists Federalists were mostly merchants, bankers manufacturers, and wealthy farm owners. They basically owned land or some type of property and were well-educated. Most of these people lived in urban areas. Anti-Federalists were mostly artisans, shopkeepers, frontier settlers, and poor farmers. They were mostly uneducated and illiterate and most of them lived in rural areas.

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705 Words | 3 Pages

It took the convincing of the Anti-Federalists to explain how the Constitution gave too much power to the central government and did not state the rights and freedoms of the people, therefore lacking a Bill of Rights. The Federalists agreed to a Bill of Rights, and later the Constitution was ratified with nine out of thirteen votes on June 21 of 1788. Soon after the Constitution was ratified, the separation of powers was understood in the United States government. The separation of powers separated each branch of government.

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Before I state my opinion, I must lay out the two opposing sides between the federalists and the anti Federalists. To put it simply, federalists were people who supported the ratification of the constitution. 
On the other side of the spectrum the anti-Federalists were people who opposed the ratification of the constitution. If I was living in the in the 1780’s I probably would have voted and supported the ratification of the constitution. I am the type of person that wants a strong and unified central government.

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The Federalists wanted a strong central government. The Anti- Federalists claims Constitution gives the central government too much power and, and they worried about the new constitution will not give them any rights. That the new system threatened freedom; Also, threatened the sovereignty of the states and personal liberties; failed to protect individual rights. Besides, some of famous peoples such as " Patrick Henry" and artists have came out against the Constitution. Although the anti-Federalists were unsuccessful in stopping the passage of the Constitution, their efforts have been responsible for the creation and implementation of the Bill of

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In the process of forming the Bill of Rights, nine out of thirteen states formed the Federalist document that supported ratification of the Bill of Rights. The Federalist document had clauses 10 and 51, which supported a better relationship between the government and the society. President Madison spearheaded the ratification and encouraged the citizens that the large size of America was a blessing for peaceful co-existence, not the rivalry. However, Anti-Federalists still emerged to oppose the unity and the central government. Despite, the opposition, all the parties supported the Bill of Rights and saw it as the only way to achieve liberty.

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641 Words | 3 Pages

The ratification of the U.S. Constitution process included debates and discussions to convince citizens to approve of the new Constitution. The Federalists and Anti-Federalists played a huge part in the topic of the Constitution. The Federalists were people who supported the Constitution and wanted a strong central government, highlighting the necessity for a unified government. Anti-Federalists opposed the ratification, fearing that a central government will be too powerful and will jeopardize the protection of individual liberties in the Bill of Rights. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and Patrick Henry were key figures who played a part in molding the state rights, federalism, and balance of power.

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866 Words | 4 Pages

The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791 written by James Madison. The Bill of Rights was written and added into the Constitution in order to protect the rights of the citizens. The Bill of Rights was added into the Constitution by a compromise between the Anti-Federalists and the Federalists. Federalists were citizens who supported the new Constitution. While Anti-Federalists were another group of citizens who were scared to have another king or a abusive government, basically did not support the Constitution.

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2158 Words | 9 Pages

In response to these apprehensions, James Madison, a principal author of the Federalist Papers, advocated for the inclusion of a Bill of Rights—a series of amendments explicitly guaranteeing fundamental freedoms and limiting the powers of the federal government. The Bill of Rights, consisting of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, was ratified in 1791. These amendments enshrined essential principles such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press; the right to bear arms; protections against unreasonable searches and seizures; and the right to due process of law. The inclusion of these provisions helped alleviate many of the concerns raised by opponents of the Constitution, reassuring them that individual liberties would be safeguarded under the new government. The Federalist Papers, comprising 85 essays published in New York newspapers between 1787 and 1788, offered a comprehensive and systematic defense of the proposed Constitution.

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487 Words | 2 Pages

During the process of ratifying the constitution, the federalists and anti-federalists had major disagreements on what views and ideas should be presented. Because of all of the disagreements, the two groups were eventually divided and each held their own views on what the constitution should carry. The federalists were a group of led by Alexander Hamilton and were the first political party of the United States. Most of the federalist lived in urban areas.

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445 Words | 2 Pages

The Anti- Federalists claimed the Constitution gave the central government an excessive amount of power, and while not a Bill of Rights the folks would be in danger of oppression. Both Hamilton and Madison argued that the Constitution did not want a Bill of Rights, that it might produce a "parchment barrier" that restricted the rights of the folks, as critical protective

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The new constitution, a document granting the framework for a new democratic government, replacing the Articles of the Confederation. This new document gained approval from some of the citizens, but also raised questions and concerns from others. There was a constant back and forth between the two groups on whether or not the constitution should be ratified. This editorial provides historical background on the issue and expresses my opinion on which side I would’ve chosen.

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