Malcolm Rivera
The United States Constitution was ratified in 1787, but it was not without its critics. The Federalists supported the Constitution, while the Anti-Federalists opposed it. The Federalists believed in a strong national government, while the Anti-Federalists favoured state and local governments and advocated for a bill of rights to safeguard individual liberty. The Anti-Federalists were concerned about the lack of limits on government power and the absence of a bill of rights in the Constitution. Despite their differences, the two groups reached a compromise, and the Constitution was adopted. However, political divisions persisted during the presidency of George Washington, with the Federalists and Anti-Federalists continuing to disagree over fiscal policy and the interpretation of the Constitution. The debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists has had a lasting impact on American politics, with echoes of their disagreements still evident in modern-day political debates.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Supporters were called | Federalists |
| Opponents were called | Anti-Federalists |
| Support came from | Washington, commercial interests, men of property, creditors |
| Opposition came from | Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, George Mason, Edmund Randolph, Elbridge Gerry, Roger Sherman |
| Federalists believed in | A strong national government |
| Anti-Federalists believed in | Power remaining with state and local governments, a bill of rights to safeguard individual liberty |
| Federalists became | The Federalist Party |
| Anti-Federalists became | The Jeffersonian Party, precursor to the modern Democratic Party |
| Number of states required for ratification | 9 or more of the 13 states |
| Number of amendments approved by the House | 17 |
| Number of amendments approved by the Senate | 12 |
| Number of words in the Constitution | 4,543 |
| Number of states that did not send deputies to the Constitutional Convention | 2 (Rhode Island and Providence Plantations) |
| Approximate reading time of the Constitution | Half an hour |
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What You'll Learn
The Anti-Federalists
Some Anti-Federalists saw the proposed new strong central government as another British monarchy in disguise, which would soon come to threaten their individual rights and civil liberties. They believed that the Constitution, as drafted, would lead to a loss of individual liberties, an erosion of state sovereignty, and the potential for the rise of tyranny. They advocated for a more decentralized form of government with greater protections for individual rights and stronger representation for the states.
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The Three Dissenters
The creation of the US Constitution was a long and arduous process, with many individuals and groups playing a part. The Federalists and Anti-Federalists, nationalists and state rights advocates, all had their role to play in shaping the final document.
Among those who did not support the Constitution, three men, Edmund Randolph, George Mason, and Elbridge Gerry, known as the "Three Dissenters", stand out as they were delegates to the Constitutional Convention but refused to sign the final document. Their reasons for doing so provide an insight into the political and philosophical debates of the time.
Edmund Randolph, along with George Mason, was a delegate from Virginia. Randolph was concerned that the Constitution did not include a bill of rights, an issue that was important to him and Mason, who had authored the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Randolph also took issue with the lack of protection for individual liberties and the potential for the central government to become too powerful. He felt that the document did not adequately protect against this possibility.
George Mason, a Virginian delegate and slave owner, is considered by some to be the most important of the Three Dissenters. Just a week before the Constitution was signed, Mason proposed the addition of a bill of rights, arguing that it would "give great quiet to the people". His proposal was rejected by 10 out of 10 states as unnecessary. Mason also spoke out against slavery, despite owning hundreds of slaves himself.
Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts was the third of the Three Dissenters. He was concerned about the lack of protection for individual liberties in the Constitution and felt that the document did not go far enough to prevent the central government from infringing on the rights of the people. Gerry also took issue with the lack of a bill of rights, a concern shared by many Anti-Federalists who wanted power to remain with state and local governments.
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The Bill of Rights
The United States Bill of Rights comprises the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. It was proposed following the often bitter 1787–88 debate over the ratification of the Constitution. The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution to address the objections raised by Anti-Federalists and to limit government power. Federalists had opposed the inclusion of a bill of rights, arguing that it was unnecessary and that the new federal government could not endanger the freedoms of the press or religion since it was not granted any authority to regulate either. Anti-Federalists, on the other hand, wanted power to remain with state and local governments and demanded a bill of rights to safeguard individual liberty.
- The First Amendment protects the freedom of speech, the right to publish, practice religion, and assemble.
- The Second Amendment provides the right to keep and bear arms.
- The Fourth Amendment safeguards citizens' right to be free from unreasonable government intrusion in their homes through the requirement of a warrant.
- The Fifth Amendment provides several protections for people accused of crimes, including the right against self-incrimination and the right to due process of law.
- The Sixth Amendment provides additional protections to people accused of crimes, such as the right to a speedy and public trial, trial by an impartial jury, and the right to be informed of criminal charges.
- The Seventh Amendment extends the right to a jury trial in Federal civil cases.
- The Eighth Amendment bars excessive bail and fines and cruel and unusual punishment.
- The Ninth Amendment states that listing specific rights in the Constitution does not deny other rights retained by the people.
- The Tenth Amendment states that the Federal Government only has those powers delegated to it in the Constitution, and all other powers are reserved to the states or the people.
The entire Bill of Rights was created to protect the rights that the original citizens believed were naturally theirs. These rights include the right to exercise one's own religion, or no religion, free from any government influence or compulsion, and the right to be free of unwarranted and unwanted government intrusion into one's personal and private affairs, papers, and possessions.
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The Federalist Papers
The impact of The Federalist Papers on New York citizens has been debated, as New York did ratify the Constitution, but there was a lack of public support for the pro-Constitution Federalists. However, the papers remain important as they offer insight into the intentions of key individuals who debated the elements of the Constitution.
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The Federalists
Alexander Hamilton, who privately assessed the chances of the Constitution being ratified, was a key figure among the Federalists. The document had several factors in its favour, including the support of Washington, commercial interests, men of property, creditors, and the belief among many Americans that the Articles of Confederation were inadequate. The Articles of Confederation, which had been ratified in 1781, had created a loose confederation of sovereign states with a weak central government, and this had exposed the need for a stronger national government.
Nationalists, including James Madison, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Wilson, worked towards strengthening the federal government. They turned a series of regional commercial conferences into a national constitutional convention at Philadelphia in 1787. Madison, in particular, had studied history and political theory for several years, searching for a solution to the political and economic dilemmas he saw in America. He was convinced of the inadequacy of the Articles of Confederation, which left the central government with insufficient power to regulate commerce, levy taxes, or effectively support a war effort.
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