What Were The Primary Differences Between The Federalists And The Anti-Federalists

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1. What are the primary differences between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists in their views of federal authority? The Anti-Federalists opposed a strong federal government, which is the main reason behind why they were so opposed and critical of the Constitution and the Constitutional Settlement of 1788. They thought the Constitution gave too much power to federal government and feared that with the stronger, new federal government outlined in the Constitution, the states would be absorbed by the federal government. The Anti-Federalists suggested that the new system would threaten liberties, and all freedom would be lost with the Constitution because of how much power it granted the federal government. The Federalists, on the other hand, …show more content…

Many original holders of the securities, who were mostly veterans of the American Revolution that received them as payment for their service in the war, had sold them at a portion of the original value to speculators. The release of the plan also produced a purchasing frenzy as bankers and investors became aware of the funding proposal. This plan would divide the nation to create a class of wealthy citizens and a poorer class as the speculators were cheating the veterans of the war out of their …show more content…

While Jefferson was a farmer with a strong work ethic and believed in equality for the common man. Hamilton, however, was not as understanding toward average Americans. He thought that leadership in government should be left to the wealthy and powerful. Hamilton knew that in order to ensure the new government would be successful, they needed to make the wealthier citizens feel like they had an interest in the country’s prosperity. This is where his financial system came into play. The United States had a lot of debt after the war, but it wasn’t the government’s debt. Most Americans, especially veterans, felt the new government wouldn’t ever pay them back the debts they were owed and sold their bonds to speculators. Hamilton’s plan was that the government would pay back these debts because most were owed to wealthier bankers and businessmen. He thought if the wealthy had money already invested in the government, they were most likely to want it to succeed. Additionally, if the nation has debt, it would cause the nation to come together in order to try and diminish and eliminate it which would strengthen the nation. Hamilton’s overall objective was to centralize the government’s economic sector and connect it back to the country’s financiers and leaders of commerce and marketplace. The most important component of Hamilton’s financial plan was his debt program, because through showing the Americans’