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Analysis Of Patrick Henry's Arguments For The Anti Federalists

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Patrick Henry says, “I smelt a rat”, because of not only the influence of ideas from fellow patriots, but also because of his own investigations of how much the Constitution actually represented the citizens of the United States of America. The concerns of fellow Constitution Framers and the general public eventually snowballed for well known patriots to all out reject the Constitution. The Anti Federalists all noticed a very significant piece that should be apart of the Constitution. In investigation B, C, F,and G highlight the most powerful argument for the Anti Federalists. All investigations show hesitation from a member of the Continental Congress displaying their fear about the Constitution. All agree that the Constitution could lead to a corrupt and oppressive society, where civil rights are not protected by the government. Anti Federalists at this time demanded some form of document to protect their civil rights from domestic and foreign powers. George Mason, a delegate from Virginia thought that general law couldn’t protect the people and that the Executive branch will always be a threat to Americans rights because he will always be misguided. Patrick Henry voices his concern about the Constitution, thinking that it may develop the Executive branch to become a tyranny. …show more content…

Madison, one of the founding father of America, is agreeing with the group of people who are against what he makes and at one time even believed in. People in America of all status need protection of their rights from their government, and the population did not find the Constitution to be sufficient. As the Anti Federalists in the Continental Congress expressed their specific concerns, their ideas snowballed until they came to the conclusion that they needed a Bill of

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Lectures Lecture 14 “Questions to Consider #1”: Why did the Anti Federalists object so strongly to the Preamble to the Constitution? The Anti-Federalists objected so strongly to Preamble to the Constitution due to the fact the Preamble establishes powers for the three branches of government, states’ relations, mode of amendment, debts, national supremacy, oath of office, and amendment ratification. This group felts as though when the federalists wanting to create a strong central government would not be strong enough if the Preamble was not put into place. Lecture 14 states, “Anti-federalists suspicious of central power fought the new Constitution tenaciously…..

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George Mason and Patrick Henry had valid arguments and provided multiple points to support their rejection of the U.S. Constitution. George Mason and Patrick Henry were Anti-Federalist, a political party at the time which argued against the formation of a strong central government. Both Mason and Henry opposed the Constitution because they felt the Constitution would be similar to the British monarchy which had a powerful leader which would enforce unfair laws as well as taxes amongst the state governments and the people in them. George Mason main argument against the Constitution was the creation of a National government which would be strong enough to destroy state governments which represented the people and their interest.

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In the publishment of the Federalist papers James madison states why the constitution is needed in the first place express “If men were angels, no government would be necessary” (F). To the thought the forthcoming two parties, The Federalists and the anti-federalist

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It was no longer about states or abroad country, but rather a contract between all Americans under 1 nation. In a meantime, the Federalist Papers provided strong and rational justifications in that every decision should made by the Constitutional Convention, and also persuaded Americans that by arranging less power in people’s hands, the federal government could have a higher chance to protect people. On the other hand, the Anti-Federalist delegates argued that the government gave too much power to the federal government, while seizing too much power away from local and state governments. There were three kinds of Anti-Federalists.

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James Madison’s Federalist 10 was written amid criticisms that a republican form of government had never been successful on a large scale. Madison’s argument was that a well-constructed union could control factions. He argued that in order to control factions from their causes, we would need to either give up liberty or free thought. Since we cannot infringe upon these two natural rights, we must move on to controlling the effects. A republic, Madison argues, would be able to do this because the people choose the representatives, and they choose representatives who they feel best represent their opinions.

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1. The Constitution’s ratification process included arguments for and against ratification by Federalists and Anti-Federalists, respectively. Describe and evaluate the arguments expressed by both of these groups. The arguments the Federalists used in support of the ratification of the Constitution include a decrease in strength and authority of the federal government under the currently designated Articles of Confederation (Bardes, Shelly, Schimdt, 2015, pp.

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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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There are moments in American that have a make a great impact not only on our history but on the lives of those that live within our borders. When one reflects on these points in time we can began to understand the fabric of how this nation began to form into the nation it is today. A crucial time in America’s history as a nation was when our leaders in Philadelphia were framing the Constitution, during those stifling hot and miserable days during the Philadelphia Convention in 1787. The leaders of this new country were attempting to come up with something that would guide this new country for many years to come, but had no idea what the future would hold.

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At the core of each of the different arguments of the Constitution is the issue of human nature and how it relates to government. In his objection, Richard Henry Lee points out that human nature is the reason the Constitution is ineffective in securing liberties because too much power is given to too few and this majority can be abused. However, James Madison states that people cannot be left to completely govern themselves, because ultimately human nature causes discord and chaos and there must be a system in place that correctly checks the destructive results of the human nature. In his argument for the Constitution, Madison looks at both sides of the dispute giving greater credibility to his conclusion.

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James Madison’s writing of Federalist No. 10 examines the issues regarding the original Articles of Confederation, weighing and balancing the options of creating an effective government from a Federalist perspective. Madison’s attempt is to give the majority the power such as in a true democracy, though this raises the issue such that the majority may be in the wrong. In this, people of the minorities such as Madison himself being a wealthy citizen would need to “watch out” for the majority that they just gave the power to. Madison discussed how a republic system may be a solution to such a problem. He feels as if a republic would solve many of these solutions, yet cause more at the same time.

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In 1787, when the new Constitution of the United States was proposed for ratification, the American people deliberated freely and publicly, especially through newspaper editorials, regarding whether they should reject or accept a form of government. Antifederalists, those who opposed ratification of the constitution, questioned whether it would infringe upon their natural rights as a citizen. Brutus, one of the most articulate antifederalists, voiced a concern which many other Americans shared. He suggested that he had something to offer in a debate which was important to the happiness and misery of generations to come. “The first question that presents itself on the subject is, whether a confederated government be

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The Constitution—the foundation of the American government—has been quintessential for the lives of the American people for over 200 years. Without this document America today would not have basic human rights, such as those stated in the Bill of Rights, which includes freedom of speech and religion. To some, the Constitution was an embodiment of the American Revolution, yet others believe that it was a betrayal of the Revolution. I personally believe that the Constitution did betray the Revolution because it did not live up to the ideals of the Revolution, and the views of the Anti-Federalists most closely embodied the “Spirit of ‘76.” During the midst of the American Revolution, authors and politicians of important documents, pamphlets, and slogans spread the basis for Revolutionary ideals and defined what is known as the “Spirit of ‘76”.

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They felt the Constitution would create a system of federalism, a system in which the national government holds significant power, but the smaller political subdivisions also hold significant power. They felt the country needed a strong central government so that it didn’t fall apart. The Ant-Federalists were on the opposing side, they felt the Constitution granted the government too much power. They also felt there wasn’t enough protection of their right with an absent Bill of Rights. Another concern of the Anti-Federalists mainly came from the lower classes, from their standpoint they thought the wealthy class would be in main control and gain the most benefits from the ratification of this document.

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