The Federalists and the anti-Federalists ON The Federalists and the anti-Federalists

Approving the Constitution It is important to note that not all people, including many of those involved in the Philadelphia Convention, approved of the new constitution Once written, the battle over whether or not to ratify the document began creating two groups: The federalists fought for ratification The anti-Federalists fought against ratification Approving the Constitution

Ratifying the Constitution In order for the new Constitution to take affect, nine of the thirteen states (a super majority) had to approve The Constitution was to be presented to special “ratifying” conventions in each state They wanted the document to be approved by the voters and therefore stayed away from the existing state legislatures for approval Delegates at the “ratifying” conventions would be elected by popular vote in each state and would be responsible for debating and approving the Constitution Goes back to Locke’s idea that the “people should consent to their government!” Ratifying the Constitution

Concerns over the new document arose in New York, Virginia, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania Without the approval of these states, the Constitution would not be ratified Both sides of the issue begin writing a series of papers, the “anti-Federalist Essays” and the “Federalist Papers” to sway the public to their side Most of the writers used “pseudonyms” so that their letters would be read on their merits rather than on the reputations of the writers The Battle Begins

The anti-Federalists Objections to the document included… Republicanism (representative government) could only work in small communities with similar background and common interests A large, diverse nation cannot sustain a republic! When a government operates at a distance from the people, such a government will resort to force rather than popular consent to maintain authority Congress is too powerful Necessary and Proper Clause (Elastic Clause) President has unlimited authority to grant pardons Encourage people to commit crimes and then forgive them Judicial Branch has too much power and can destroy the state court systems Treaties made by the President and the Senate Supreme Law of the Land No consent from the House (elected by the people) No guarantees of individual liberties The anti-Federalists

The Federalists The Federalists argued… The separation of powers built into the Constitution is the best way to promote republicanism Rights and welfare of all are protected within the system! The House of Representatives is elected by the people and will protect local interests The constitution says nothing about the national government having authority over individuals; a Bill of Rights would imply that the national government had powers that the Constitution did not give it The Federalists

Key Figures Key Federalists Key anti-Federalists John Jay James Madison Alexander Hamiliton Key anti-Federalists George Mason Luther Martin Robert Yates Elbridge Gerry Richard Henry Lee Key Figures