Anti Federalism Essay

Since the Second Continental Congress meeting in 1787, the polarization of political opinions from federalism to anti-federalism have created conflict between America’s founders and politicians, leading to heated debates and subtle agreements over important issues such as centralized power and civilian rights. Compromises between these polarized views have facilitated the creation of a unique constitution and law system that have prevailed across centuries.
The Articles of Confederation, the original U.S. constitution, created a weak national government that couldn’t collect taxes, had no judiciary, and lack of enforcement allowed states to make individual decisions on foreign policy. American founders agreed that these problems, such as Shay’s

Along the way, several additions and changes were made to the constitution. Anti-Federalists viewed the new constitution as a threat to individual civil liberty, and demanded that the Bill of Rights be amended. The first amendment ensured that individual states and their religions could not be overwritten by congress with a national religion, one of the key reasons America was settled (pilgrims); it allowed all citizens to practice their own religion and not be discriminated for it. The tenth amendment was especially important, because it reserved unlisted powers to the states and people, something Anti-Federalists vehemently pushed for. Finally, the 14th amendment’s clause, “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”, declares citizens of the states also citizens of the nation, and constitutional rights are applied to them that are supreme over state law, helping to create a national identity for citizens. Together with the rest of the constitution, a government has been created that is adaptable and modifiable, controlled by the interest of the