1. We The People Or How to Form a More Perfect Union

2. Federalists were supporters of the Constitution They wanted to create a federal system

3. Antifederalists were opponents of the Constitution They were not against federalism But they wanted the power of the states to be supreme

4. Federalism is a system of government where power is shared between a federal government and state governments

5. Antifederalists believed the new Constitution should have included a bill of rights To protect individual rights against a powerful government

6. The Federalists were better organized than the Antifederalists Most of the nation’s newspapers supported them

7. The Federalists’ arguments for ratification were summarized in the Federalist Papers The Federalist Papers: a collection of 85 essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay

8. The Constitution begins with the Preamble “We the People…”

9. Then follows the main body of the document: which consists of seven major parts known as articles

10. Added to the Constitution were 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights To protect the rights of the people

11. The Framers of the Constitution wanted to improve upon the Articles of Confederation of 1781 which created a loose association of states Therefore, they gave authority to the people of the entire nation – thus “We the People…”

12. The Constitution gives the powers of government to three separate groups, or branches: the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch This is known as the principle of separation of powers

13. In this Federalist Paper, James Madison explains and defends the checks and balances system in the Constitution Each branch of government is framed so that its power checks the power of the other two branches

14. Additionally, each branch of government is dependent on the people, who are the source of legitimate authority

15. Madison’s political theory as expressed in this Federalist Paper demonstrated the influence of Montesquieu’s Enlightenment idea

16. To separate power is to divide power

17. It is to prevent one branch from being all- powerful

18. A tyrant can only exist when power is united in one person By dividing power, tyranny is ended