the jerry perez experiment
APGov Name___________________________
Unit 1, Lesson 3 SR Date__________________ Per.______
FEDERALISTS VERSUS ANTI-FEDERALISTS
The delegates agreed that the Constitution would go into effect as soon as popularly elected conventions in
nine states approved it. The debate over ratification - the formal approval of the Constitution by the states -
raged throughout the country, with supporters of the new government calling themselves Federalists, and their
opponents, the Anti-Federalists. The main debate was primarily about the scope of power of the central
government.
• Federalists supported the greatly increased powers of the central government and believed that the
Constitution adequately protected individual liberties.
• The Anti-Federalists believed that the proposed government would be oppressive and that more
individual freedoms and rights should be explicitly guaranteed.
Pamphlets, newspapers, and speeches supported one view or the other.
THE FEDERALIST PAPERS
Ratification of the Constitution was defended by the
Federalist Papers
, written by Alexander Hamilton, James
Madison, and John Jay. These documents contain some of the most basic and brilliantly argued philosophical
underpinnings of American government. Two famous papers are
Federalist #10
and
Federalist #51.
The
Federalist #10
addresses the question of how to guard against “factions”, or groups of citizens, with
interests contrary to the rights of others or the interests of the whole community and argued that separation of
powers and federalism check the growth of tyranny: If “factious leaders...kindle a flame within their particular
states...” leaders can check the spread of the “conflagration through the other states.” Likewise, each branch of
the government keeps the other two from gaining a concentration of power. Madison argues that a long-lived
democracy must manage its interest groups, even though these factions can never be eliminated. Madison
argued that a strong, big republic would be a better guard against those dangers than smaller republics—for
instance, the individual states.
The
Federalist #51
explained why strong government is necessary: “If men were angels, no government would
be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be
necessary.” It also addressed means by which appropriate checks and balances can be created in government
FEDERALISTS
♦ Favored Constitution
♦ Led by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay
♦ Stressed weaknesses of Articles; strong central
government needed to protect nation and solve
domestic problems
♦ Checks and balances would protect against
abuses
♦ Protection of property rights
♦ Constitution is a bill of rights with limitations and
reserved powers for the states; state
constitutions already had protections in bills of
rights
ANTI-FEDERALISTS
♦ Opposed Constitution
♦ Led by Patrick Henry, George Mason, Samuel
Adams
♦ Wanted strong state governments; feared a
strong national government
♦ Created a strong executive similar to monarchy
♦ Wanted fewer limits on popular participation
♦ Wanted a bill of rights to protect individual
liberty and citizens against government and
individual
