Student Question
Compare the Federalists' and Anti-Federalists' views on democracy, government power, economy, and foreign affairs.
Quick answer:
The Federalists, led by figures like Alexander Hamilton, advocated for a strong central government to regulate the economy and consolidate financial policies, appealing to urban and business interests. They supported the Constitution without a Bill of Rights, citing the need for centralized authority. In contrast, Anti-Federalists, including Thomas Jefferson, favored states' rights and local control, appealing to rural populations. They demanded a Bill of Rights to safeguard personal liberties, fearing centralized power. This debate set the stage for ongoing discussions about government size and power.
At the time of the drafting and ratification of the United States Constitution, two camps arose with distinct opinions on how the new government should be run. Their beliefs were quite different and set the stage for a lively debate.
The belief in a strong, central government was championed by the group known as the Federalists. Led by respected leaders such as Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, and John Adams, the Federalists believed that a central authority was necessary to coordinate the day-to-day operations of government. Influenced greatly by big business, this group felt that regulation of the economy was best done by a powerful, central government. They hoped to consolidate financial policies and banks to create a strong national government.
With the base of their support coming from urban areas, the Federalists supported the Constitution as it had been created in Philadelphia and saw little need for the addition of...
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a Bill of Rights. The nation had incurred some debt fighting the Revolutionary War with England, and there had been continual challenges to the authority of the central government under the Articles of Confederation. Federalists believed the nation would better survive and eventually thrive with strong, central leadership.
The Anti-Federalists saw things differently. They believed in a more relaxed central authority, where states retained significant power and could make decisions independently. Leading Anti-Federalists such as Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and James Monroe felt that local control of government was best. They believed states should be the custodians of their own revenue and could spend that revenue as they thought best.
Largely made up of farmers and other individuals that stood to benefit from local control, these rural Americans maintained an inherent distrust of all things relating to government. As a result, the Anti-Federalists resisted the ratification of the Constitution until guarantees of personal liberties and freedoms were spelled out in a Bill of Rights.
A Bill of Rights was included, but the debate remained intense. Eventually, the Constitution was officially ratified. The discussion of big government verses small government continues today.