
The US Constitution was drafted in 1787 by 55 delegates, 39 of whom signed the document. The framers of the Constitution wanted to create a federal structure in which power is shared by the national government and the states. This was known as federalism, a novel separation of state and national powers. The Federalists, including Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison, supported the ratification of the Constitution, arguing that a strong national government was necessary for the United States to function as an independent nation. They believed that the greatest threat to the country was not central power but the excesses of democracy.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Defending the social gains of the Revolution | N/A |
| Well-funded and well-organised | N/A |
| Support from newspapers | N/A |
| Support from celebrities of the period, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington | N/A |
| Federalist Papers laid out their ideology | N/A |
| Federalist Papers urged support for the ratification of the Constitution | N/A |
| Supported ratification and argued for a strong national government | N/A |
| Wanted to avoid democratic ineptitude and majority tyranny | N/A |
| Wanted to provide for a strong central government | N/A |
| Wanted to avoid abuse of central power | N/A |
| Wanted to avoid tyranny and provide a check against it | N/A |
| Wanted to maintain state sovereignty | N/A |
| Wanted to reduce the prospect of majority tyranny | N/A |
| Wanted to avoid the "cloudy medium" of words to define state and national powers | N/A |
| Wanted to avoid ineffectual "parchment barriers" | N/A |
| Wanted to encourage innovation and experimentation in government | N/A |
| 55 delegates attended the Constitutional Convention sessions | 39 signed the Constitution |
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What You'll Learn
- Federalists believed a strong national government was necessary for the US to function as an independent nation
- Federalists supported the ratification of the Constitution
- Federalists believed the greatest threat to the US was the excesses of democracy
- Federalists were well-organised, well-funded, and made careful use of the printed word
- Federalists believed the Constitution would act as a “republican remedy for the diseases most incident to republican government”

Federalists believed a strong national government was necessary for the US to function as an independent nation
The Federalists believed that a strong national government was necessary for the US to function as an independent nation. They saw their most important role as defending the social gains of the Revolution. They believed that the greatest threat to the future of the United States was not in the abuse of central power, but in the excesses of democracy, as evidenced by popular disturbances like Shays' Rebellion and the pro-debtor policies of many states.
Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison wrote 85 essays collectively known as the Federalist Papers, urging support for the ratification of the Constitution. These papers laid out the ideology of the Federalists during the creation of the US Constitution. The Federalists wanted the nation to have a stronger national government with powers to pass laws, regulate commerce, print/coin money, engage in international trade as one nation, and settle disputes among the states.
The Federalists were well-organised, well-funded, and made careful use of the printed word. They had the support of most newspapers, which published articles and pamphlets explaining why people should approve the Constitution. They also had the support of national-level celebrities of the period, such as Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.
The Federalists succeeded in convincing the Washington administration to assume national and state debts, pass tax laws, and create a central bank. These moves undoubtedly saved the fledgling democracy from poverty and even destruction. The Federalists also established monetary policies that gave more power to the federal government and rejected ties with France in favour of closer links with Britain.
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Federalists supported the ratification of the Constitution
The Federalists, who were supporters of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, believed that a stronger national government was necessary for the United States to function as an independent nation. They saw their most important role as defending the social gains of the Revolution. The Federalists included big property owners in the North, conservative small farmers and businessmen, wealthy merchants, clergymen, judges, lawyers, and professionals. They favored weaker state governments, a strong centralized government, the indirect election of government officials, longer term limits for officeholders, and representative, rather than direct, democracy.
The Federalists were well-organized, well-funded, and made careful use of the printed word. They had the support of most newspapers, which published articles and pamphlets explaining why people should approve the Constitution. Many of the most talented leaders of the era, including national celebrities Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, were Federalists.
Alexander Hamilton was an influential Federalist who wrote many of the essays in The Federalist Papers, urging support for the ratification of the Constitution. The Federalist Papers were a collection of 85 essays written by Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison during 1787-88. These papers laid out the ideology of the Federalists during the creation of the U.S. Constitution and advocated for the ratification of the Constitution.
The Federalists believed that the nation might not survive without the passage of the Constitution. They argued that the Articles of Confederation, the predecessor of the Constitution, were inadequate and that the Constitution provided many built-in safeguards to prevent the government from becoming too powerful. They also promised to add a Bill of Rights to the Constitution to protect individual liberties and gain the support of the Anti-Federalists.
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Federalists believed the greatest threat to the US was the excesses of democracy
The Federalists, supporters of the proposed Constitution, believed that the greatest threat to the future of the United States was not the abuse of central power, but the excesses of democracy. They saw their most important role as defending the social gains of the Revolution. They wanted to safeguard the liberty and independence that the American Revolution had created.
The Federalist Papers, a collection of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison during 1787-88, laid out the ideology of the Federalists during the creation of the U.S. Constitution. James Madison, one of the great Federalist leaders, later explained that the Constitution was designed to be a "republican remedy for the diseases most incident to republican government."
Madison's Federalist No. 10 defended the form of republican government proposed by the Constitution. Critics of the Constitution argued that the proposed federal government was too large and would be unresponsive to the people. Madison countered that it was the great number of factions and diversity that would avoid tyranny. Groups would be forced to negotiate and compromise among themselves, arriving at solutions that would respect the rights of minorities.
Federalists believed that the excesses of democracy were evidenced in popular disturbances like Shays' Rebellion and the pro-debtor policies of many states. They saw a need to constrain democracy in favour of a stronger central government. They succeeded in convincing the Washington administration to assume national and state debts, pass tax laws, and create a central bank. These moves saved the fledgling democracy from poverty and even destruction.
In foreign policy, Federalists generally favoured England over France. Anti-Federalists such as Thomas Jefferson feared that a concentration of central authority might lead to a loss of individual and states' rights. They believed that Federalist monetary policies gave advantages to the upper class.
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Federalists were well-organised, well-funded, and made careful use of the printed word
The supporters of the proposed United States Constitution called themselves Federalists. They were well-organised, well-funded, and made careful use of the printed word. They had many talented leaders of the era, including the only two national-level celebrities of the period, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, who supported the Constitution.
The Federalist Papers, a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, laid out the ideology of the Federalists during the creation of the U.S. Constitution. These papers were written and published to urge New Yorkers to ratify the proposed Constitution. They were published primarily in two New York state newspapers: The New York Packet and The Independent Journal. They were also reprinted in other newspapers in New York state and in several other cities in other states.
The Federalists also had the support of most newspapers, which published articles and pamphlets explaining why the people should approve the Constitution. The Federalists believed that the greatest threat to the future of the United States was not the abuse of central power, but the excesses of democracy, as evidenced by popular disturbances like Shays' Rebellion and the pro-debtor policies of many states.
The Federalists saw their most important role as defending the social gains of the Revolution. As James Madison, one of the great Federalist leaders, later explained, the Constitution was designed to be a "republican remedy for the diseases most incident to republican government."
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Federalists believed the Constitution would act as a “republican remedy for the diseases most incident to republican government”
Federalism was born in 1787 when Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison wrote 85 essays collectively known as the Federalist Papers. These papers laid out the ideology of the Federalists during the creation of the U.S. Constitution. The supporters of the proposed Constitution called themselves Federalists, implying a commitment to a loose, decentralized system of government.
The Federalists believed that the greatest threat to the future of the United States was not the abuse of central power, but the excesses of democracy. They wanted to convince the undecided portion of the American people that for the nation to thrive, democracy needed to be constrained in favor of a stronger central government. They believed the Constitution was required to safeguard the liberty and independence that the American Revolution had created.
As James Madison, one of the great Federalist leaders, later explained, the Constitution was designed to be a "republican remedy for the diseases most incident to republican government." Madison, along with Hamilton and Jay, wrote the Federalist Papers to encourage Americans to adopt the newly-written Constitution and its stronger central government. The Federalists succeeded in convincing the Washington administration to assume national and state debts, pass tax laws, and create a central bank. These moves undoubtedly saved the fledgling democracy from poverty and even destruction.
The Anti-Federalists, on the other hand, opposed the ratification of the Constitution because they feared that a strong national government would threaten individual liberties. They believed that the concentration of federal power represented a dangerous threat to liberty and resented Federalist monetary policies, which they thought gave advantages to the upper class. The debates between Federalists and Anti-Federalists ultimately led to the adoption of the Bill of Rights, which protected Americans' civil liberties.
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Frequently asked questions
Federalism is the separation of powers between state and federal government.
The Federalists supported the ratification of the Constitution and believed that a strong national government was necessary for the United States to function effectively as an independent nation.
The Federalists included some of the most talented leaders of the era, including Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington.
The Anti-Federalists feared that a strong national government would become despotic and trample on the rights of the states and the people. They published a series of essays expressing their concerns and advocated for the inclusion of a Bill of Rights in the Constitution.

























