Anti-Federalists vs

Federalists
 James Madison

Alexander Hamilton John Jay

Prominent Anti-federalists
Cato’s Letters
Brutus
Centinel
Federal Farmer

Patrick Henry
 Patrick Henry
 Active leader during the
Revolution who
demanded that the
British “give me liberty,
or give me death!"
 He is against the
Constitution because it
reduced states rights and
had no Bill of Rights
 George Mason

 Anti-Federalist, a Virginian
Plantation owner
 Wrote the Virginia
Declaration of Rights which
becomes the model for the
Bill of Rights
 He refused to sign the
Constitution until a Bill of
Rights was included
Individual Rights

The Anti-Federalists were more concerned

with protecting the rights of the
individual people and states, than
promoting the pubic good as a whole.
Who were the Federalists and Anti-Federalists?
• Anti-Federalists:
People who opposed ratifying the Constitution
– Leaders like George Mason, Edmond Randolph, and Elbridge
Gerry
• Each had attended the Philadelphia Convention but refused to sign the
Constitution
– John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Richard Henry Lee
All signed the Declaration of Independence, but also opposed the
ratification
Who were the Federalists and Anti-Federalists?
• Most Americans were very
suspicious of government, but
the Anti-Federalists were
especially mistrustful of strong
government
– They feared they had created a
government that the people
could not control
 DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW
 Federalists  Antifederalists
argued for argued
• a strong national • States should have
government power
• Three branches of • Wanted legislative
government filled branch to be
with men of strongest branch of
“reputation” government
• Wanted a president • Feared a strong
to lead executive president in office
branch • A Bill of Rights
• No Bill of Rights would protect the
rights of Americans
 An Unfair Advantage?
 The Federalists publish
their essays in New
York newspapers and
pamphlets in 1787-
1789
 Newspapers support
the Federalist side and
publish more Federalist
writings than Anti-
Federalist writings!
 The Federalists Papers
 John Jay, Alexander Hamilton and James
Madison wrote the Federalist Papers to get
support for the Constitution. Papers
addressed issues such as representation,
rights of individuals and majority rule.
 The Anti-Federalists respond in the
“Objections to the Constitution of
Government formed by the Convention”,
which argued the fear of a strong executive
branch and the absence of a Bill of Rights.
Does the national government have too much
power?
Anti-Federalists Federalists

• The supremacy clause • The Constitution

means that all the provides protections
national government’s for the state
laws are superior to governments by
laws made by the specifically reserving
states certain powers for the
• It will only be a matter states
of time until the state • This will prevent the
governments are states from being
destroyed destroyed by the
national government
Does the national government have too much
power?
Anti-Federalists Federalists

• The necessary and • The necessary and

proper clause is too proper clause and
general general welfare
• It gives too much clause are needed if
power to the national the national
government government is to do
• It is dangerous not to the things it is
list all the powers of responsible for doing
government in order to
put clear limits on
them
Does the national government have too much
power?
Anti-Federalists
• The Constitution gives too much
power to the executive branch of
government
• It will soon become a monarchy
Federalists
• A strong executive branch is
necessary
• It is needed if the national
government is to fulfill its
responsibilities
• Congress and the U.S. Supreme
Court have checks on the use of
power by the Executive branch
• The executive branch cannot
become a monarchy
• The power of the national
government are separated and
balanced among the three
branches
• No one branch can dominate the
others
• This system makes it impossible
for any person or group to take
complete control of government
Does the Constitution provide for republican
government?
Anti-Federalists
• Throughout history, the only
places where republican
governments worked had been in
small communities
• There, the people had similar
wealth and the same values
• People who are not too rich or too
poor are more likely to have civic
virtue
• Such people are more likely to
agree on what is best for the
common good
• The new nation would be too large
and diverse
• The people will not be able to
agree on their common welfare
Federalists
• History has proven that selfish
groups destroyed all the small
republics of the past
• The civic virtue of the citizens
was not enough to keep people
from seeking their own interests
• People did not work for the
common good
• A large republic where power is
divided between the national and
state governments is a better
solution
• It is also better to organize
government based on checks
and balances
• Under such a government, it will
be more difficult for special
interests to work against the
common good
Does the Constitution provide for republican
government?
Anti-Federalists
• Free government requires
the active participation of
the people
• The national government
will be located far from
where most people live
• People will be unable to
participate in government
• As a result, the only way
government will be able to
rule will be with military
force
• The result will be tyranny
Federalists
• The national government
cannot become a tyranny
• The limits placed on
government by the system
of separation of powers
and checks and balances
will prevent it
• Government will be so
good at protecting the
rights of the people that it
will soon gain their loyalty
and support
Is a Bill of Rights needed for the Constitution?
Anti-Federalists
• The Constitution does not include
a bill of rights
• A bill of rights is necessary to
protect people against the power
of the national government
• There is no mention of freedom of
religion, speech, press, or
assembly
• Since these freedoms are not in
the Constitution, government is
free to violate them
• Americans recently fought a war to
secure their fundamental rights
• They do not want a constitution
that places those rights in
jeopardy
Federalists
• A bill of rights is not needed
• The Constitution is the ultimate
protection for people’s rights and
the people are the ultimate
sovereigns
• The Constitution does not give
government the power to deprive
people of their rights
• It gives government only limited
power to do certain things
• A bill of rights will give the
impression that the people can
expect protection only for the
rights that are actually listed
• The Constitution protects a
number of rights by requiring
writs of habeas corpus, and
prohibiting ex post facto laws
and bills of attainder
Issue Anti-Federalists Fear Federalists Response

The The biggest threat to The largest threats to the people

Biggest the people is the is having a small government in
threat tyranny of the which those in the minority
to government. If a will never have power. If there
The government is too is a large government the
people big, it will have diverse populations will ensure
too much power, that a small group of people, a
and consolidate, dangerous minority with
eventually leading radical ideas does not gain
to the government power.
being ruled by a
powerful elite
Issue
Anti-Federalists Fear Federalists Response

The rights guaranteed to The checks and balances are

the people should be enough to keep the
Protection included in the government from taking
of Constitution or else the rights of the people
Individual they are not away.
Rights guaranteed
Issue Anti-Federalists Fear Federalists
Response
Representation The government should The federal
be run by government
representatives that are should be run by
very similar to those well educated
who they are and experienced
representing. This new men, the elite.
government will These are the
encourage only the men that are best
well educated elite to educated and will
be representatives who be able to make
are using this as an the best
opportunity to gain decisions.
power
Issue Anti-Federalists Fear Federalists Response

People will A free government The central government

not hold requires the active created cannot take
government support of the the rights of the
accountable people. The new people because of the
government would be many checks and
so large that people balances in the
would not be involved Constitution
in government,
leading eventually to
the government
taking too much
power.
 Anti-Federalists Fear Federalists Response
Issue
Power given to The limits of the The checks and balances
the federal power given to the in the Constitution
government federal government will be effective in
are not clear and restraining the power
will result in the of the federal
president becoming government. The
a monarch. More president does not
limits should be have the power to
made through a make laws, so he/she
Bill of Rights. cannot become a
monarch
Why did the Federalists agree to add a
Bill of Rights to the Constitution?
• A compromise was reached on the
issue of a bill of rights
– The Federalists made this
compromise to get enough support for
the Constitution so that it would be
ratified
– They agreed that when the first
Congress was held, it would draft a
bill of rights
• The argument to add a bill of rights
was a victory for the Anti-
Federalists
– It was an important addition to the
Constitution and has been of great
importance in the protection of the
basic rights of the American People