The Anti- Federalists claimed the Constitution gave the central government an excessive amount of power, and while not a Bill of Rights the folks would be in danger of oppression. Both Hamilton and Madison argued that the Constitution did not want a Bill of Rights, that it might produce a "parchment barrier" that restricted the rights of the folks, as critical protective
Perhaps the most famous Federalist paper, Federalist 10, starts off by saying that one of the biggest arguments that favors the Constitution is that it creates a government suited to minimize the harm caused by factions. Faction, in this case, is defined as a group of people whether a minority or majority based on class, race, and profession that all share a common interest. It was inevitable that factions would occur and perhaps the defining characteristic was the unequal distribution of property. This would ultimately lead the poor without property to become the majority in a “tyranny of the masses.” Madison believed that there were two solutions in preventing majority factions, 1) Remover the causes, and 2) Control the effects.
The US Constitution was seen differently between two political parties. These two political parties were the Federalist and Anti-federalist. How much power the government had wasn't the same for these two groups. A Federalist was a group of people who supported the Constitution and the Anti-federalist was a group of people who opposed the ratification of the
Lectures Lecture 14 “Questions to Consider #1”: Why did the Anti Federalists object so strongly to the Preamble to the Constitution? The Anti-Federalists objected so strongly to Preamble to the Constitution due to the fact the Preamble establishes powers for the three branches of government, states’ relations, mode of amendment, debts, national supremacy, oath of office, and amendment ratification. This group felts as though when the federalists wanting to create a strong central government would not be strong enough if the Preamble was not put into place. Lecture 14 states, “Anti-federalists suspicious of central power fought the new Constitution tenaciously…..
The United States Constitution was created to define the powers and limitations of the government. It replaced the Articles of the Confederation, and was ratified by all 13 states in 1787 (American Government, n.d.). The ratification of the Constitution was not without opposition, and the government was split into two groups: federalists, and anti-federalists. The federalist group believed that a national governing body, ruled by the elite class was necessary. Antifederalists, on the other hand, believed that state governments should have more say, and that the government should be run by ordinary people (American Government, n.d.).
Hence Federalists came up with the Bill of Rights as a way to get the Constitution ratified and for people to really see a needed change. The Bill Of Rights which lists specific prohibitions on governmental power, lead the Anti-Federalists to be less fearful of the new Constitution . This guaranteed that the people would still remain to have rights, but the strong central government that the country needed would have to be approved. The 1804 Map of the nation shows that even after the ratification of the United States Constitution there still continued to be “commotion” and dispute in the country.(Document 8) George Washington stated that the people should have a say in the nation and government and everything should not be left to the government to decide.(Document 3) Although George Washington was a Federalist many believed he showed a point of view that seemed to be Anti-Federalists. Many believed that The Bill of Rights needed to be changed and modified and a new document’s time to come into place.
James Madison’s Federalist 10 was written amid criticisms that a republican form of government had never been successful on a large scale. Madison’s argument was that a well-constructed union could control factions. He argued that in order to control factions from their causes, we would need to either give up liberty or free thought. Since we cannot infringe upon these two natural rights, we must move on to controlling the effects. A republic, Madison argues, would be able to do this because the people choose the representatives, and they choose representatives who they feel best represent their opinions.
The Articles of Confederation was one of the first official documents of the United States. From the beginning of the American Revolution, Congress felt the need for a stronger union and a government powerful enough to defeat Great Britain. During the early years of the war this desire became a belief that the new nation must have a constitutional order appropriate to its republican character. However, after a few short years the Articles were replaced by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The Articles were a stepping stone which led to the Constitution however the Articles contained more weaknesses than strengths which forced the colonists to get rid of them and create a new document.
The Federalists wanted a strong central government. The Anti- Federalists claims Constitution gives the central government too much power and, and they worried about the new constitution will not give them any rights. That the new system threatened freedom; Also, threatened the sovereignty of the states and personal liberties; failed to protect individual rights. Besides, some of famous peoples such as " Patrick Henry" and artists have came out against the Constitution. Although the anti-Federalists were unsuccessful in stopping the passage of the Constitution, their efforts have been responsible for the creation and implementation of the Bill of
The Federalist No. 10” is a persuasive argument written by James Madison in an attempt to ratify the Constitution. He wrote a series of documents called the Federalist Papers under a pseudonym to convince others to approve of the Constitution. He says that factions are not good for America, neither is a pure democracy. Madison provides extensive arguments and remedies for the problems he is addressing. James Madison is attempting to ratify the Constitution by analyzing the way to deal with factions, comparing a republic to a democracy, and by comparing a small government to a large government.
In 1787, when the new Constitution of the United States was proposed for ratification, the American people deliberated freely and publicly, especially through newspaper editorials, regarding whether they should reject or accept a form of government. Antifederalists, those who opposed ratification of the constitution, questioned whether it would infringe upon their natural rights as a citizen. Brutus, one of the most articulate antifederalists, voiced a concern which many other Americans shared. He suggested that he had something to offer in a debate which was important to the happiness and misery of generations to come. “The first question that presents itself on the subject is, whether a confederated government be
Following the framing of the constitution and the conclusion of the constitutional convention, political debate quickly developed as the ratification process began. As state representatives returned to their states, the press had already began shaping public opinion with the dispersion of the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers. Federalists such as Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, and Anti-Federalists such as George Mason, Thomas Paine and George Clinton wrote with the intention of influencing the opinions of the American populace and the state legislatures charged with ratifying the constitution. These factions created the first instance of political parties, and the compromise between the two during the debate of ratification had a great influence on the American constitution. A primary
In this edition of the Federalist papers, Alexander Hamilton stresses over and over again the importance of unity between the states. Without unity, it seems as though our country will cease to exist as we know it. While Hamilton does not come right out and state, we need unity, he does make his point very clear. In using the Constitution as the perfect example of what the United States needed at the time, Hamilton manages to bring everything back to one central theme. We cannot have unity between the states if we do not introduce the Constitution.
They felt the Constitution would create a system of federalism, a system in which the national government holds significant power, but the smaller political subdivisions also hold significant power. They felt the country needed a strong central government so that it didn’t fall apart. The Ant-Federalists were on the opposing side, they felt the Constitution granted the government too much power. They also felt there wasn’t enough protection of their right with an absent Bill of Rights. Another concern of the Anti-Federalists mainly came from the lower classes, from their standpoint they thought the wealthy class would be in main control and gain the most benefits from the ratification of this document.
Before the United States passed the Constitution disputes about representation in government was common. Both sides in order to promote their views wrote Federalist or Anti-Federalist Papers. James Madison, United States President and one author of the Federalist Papers, urged the public to side with passing the Constitution. In his Federalist Paper 10, he pushed for a united government due to the “numerous advantages promised by a well constructed Union, none deserved to be more accurately developed than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction” (Madison). A unified government is needed to promote an effective government and to ensure the safety of the citizens.
