Federalist vs Anti Federalist

The main political parties today are the Republicans and the Democrats. But red vs. blue wasn't always the dividing line in America: shortly after gaining independence in 1783, debates about how the United States should run fell along the federalist vs. antifederalist line. 

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    Federalist vs Anti Federalist Beliefs

    The main division in their ideas boiled down to the relationship between the state governments and the federal government. Federalists believed that the United States should form a strong central government to unite the states, while antifederalists believed that the states should maintain the same level of power and authority with only a weak central government.

    Federalist vs Anti Federalist Differences

    For their part, federalists believed that the federal government's policies and laws should take precedence over state laws. They also thought the country needed a strong executive in the form of a president along with checks and balances on each of the branches to make sure no entity (the executive, legislative, or judcicial branch) had too much power.

    On the other hand, antifederalists believed that states needed to have more power than the central government in order to preserve rights. They feared that a strong central government would become powerful and abusive, like King George III and Parliament had. They also feared that the presidency would become monarichal over time.

    Federalist vs Anti Federalist Views

    Just as today's political parties evolved out of decades of history, the roots of the debate between federalism and antifederalism went back much farther than the Revolutionary War.

    American Colonies

    The famous French political theorist Alexis de Tocqueville once said: “[i]n America . . . it may be said that the township was organized before the county, the county before the state, the state before the union.”

    Indeed, the American colonies were settled at separate times by separate groups of people, mostly by the British. The first colonies were settled in the 17th century. By 1723, all 13 colonies had been founded. Because of this history, even though most of their ancestors had come from England, they didn't have a common identity as a country, and instead identified more with their respective colonies. The main thing they had in common was their frustrations with England.

    American Revolution

    Tensions between the American colonies and the British crown grew in the 1750s and 1760s due to heavy taxation by the British. By 1776, the Second Continental Congress issued the Declaration of Independence and the war officially started. Eventually, the new country won independence and signed a peace treaty with England in 1783.

    Articles of Confederation

    When the colonies declared war on England, they still did not have a central government. In between making war decisions, the Second Continental Congress managed to pass the Articles of Confederation in 1781.

    A Confederation is a government system where independent states or countries decide to band together with some sort of central government. The central government usually helps provide some coordination, is made up of representatives from each member state, and has less authority or power than the member states.

    The Articles of Confederation were the first government structure. The Articles named the country the United States of America and gave Congress the authority to do things like declare war, but not to tax the states.

    Even though the United States managed to win the Revolutionary War, the young country faced significant struggles under the Articles of Confederation. Congress had no money and states stopped sending it in as they focused on their own debts. Soldiers who fought in the war fell into debt because Congress couldn't afford to pay them, leading some to rebel. Many representatives stopped bothering to show up to Congress voting sessions and states started fighting about borders, commerce, and westward expansion.

    Foundations of American Government Federalist and Antifederalist Views on American Governance Continental Currency StudySmarterFigure 1: During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress started printing its own money (pictured above). Because they didn't have a national bank and the money wasn't tied to anything, the bank notes were viewed as virtually worthless. Source: University of Notre Dame, Wikimedia Commons,

    Federalist vs Anti Federalist Debate

    The United States was on shaky ground because of the problems in the Articles of Confederation. In 1787, the representatives came together for a Constitutional Convention to develop a new government framework. The Convention succeeded in reaching a compromise that people were willing to sign. However, it came with some intense debates between the federalists and antifederalists over a few key issues.

    Foundations of American Government Federalist and Antifederalist Views on American Governance Political Cartoon Constitutional Convention  StudySmarterFigure 2: A political cartoon called "The Looking Glass: A House Divide Itself Cannot Stand" from 1787 depicting the "Federals" and "Antifederals" pulling a wagon in two opposite directions. Source: Library of Congress

    Supremacy Clause

    The Supremacy Clause in the Constitution reads:

    This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.

    This clause has been interpreted to mean that if there are any conflicts between the state and federal law, then the federal law will take precedence.

    This raised alarm bells for antifederalists. They felt that giving the federal government the Constitutional authority to be the supreme law of the land would threaten states' rights and create a tyrannical federal government. In the end, the federalists won, and the Supremacy Clause remained in the Constitution.

    Commerce Clause

    The Commerce Clause says that:

    [The Congress shall have Power . . . ] To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

    This clause came directly out of the mess created by the Articles of Confederation. Before the Constitution, Congress didn't have the authority to regulate interstate commerce, which led to huge problems between the states over trade disputes.

    While everyone agreed that something had to be done, antifederalists feared that the clause left it too open to interpretation. For example, who gets to decide what "commerce" means? Does it include manufacturing or just the exchange of goods?

    In the end, the federalists won out and the Commerce Clause was included in the Constitution.

    Slavery was an important debate during the Constitutional Convention. Many states depended on enslaved labor for their economy. Pro-slavery delegates feared that the Commerce Clause could lead to the federal government claiming the authority to regulate (and abolish) slavery, so one reason for pushing for states' rights was to make sure that they could continue practicing slavery.

    Necessary and Proper Clause

    Another clause that gave antifederalists pause was the "Necessary and Proper Clause." The clause says that Congress has the power to:

    make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

    Most of Article 1 in the Constitution lists out specific powers (called Enumerated or Delineated Powers. See Enumerated and Implied Powers). For example, it gives Congress the power to create a national currency, provide common defense, and declare war.

    The federalists believed that over time, the needs of the country might change, and some of the provisions they drafted might not cover all of the duties that Congress would need to fulfill. So, they thought the "Necessary and Proper Clause" was a good compromise: it would allow Congress to pass laws needed to fulfill its other duties (called Implied Powers) while still tying its authority to the Constitution. While the antifederalists expressed concern that this clause could give the federal government too much power, the clause still stayed in the Constitution.

    Bill of Rights

    The federalists had a few wins with clauses in the Constitution, but the antifederalists put their foot down when it came to including a Bill of Rights. The antifederalists said that without a Bill of Rights, the federal government could easily trample on citizens' rights. The federalists said that a Bill of Rights wasn't necessary and that listing out rights could actually be bad for individual freedom because it could imply that any rights not specifically listed weren't protected by the Constitution.

    While they didn't come to a conclusion during the Constitutional Convention, the antifederalists succeeded in convincing several states to ratify the Constitution only if a Bill of Rights was added. In 1791, Congress passed the Bill of Rights, which included the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution.

    The Tenth Amendment clarified that any powers not specifically given to the federal government would be reserved for states (called reserved powers).

    Foundations of American Government Federalist and Antifederalist Views on American Governance Bill of Rights plaque StudySmarterFigure 3: The Bill of Rights (with the text depicted in the plaque above) was passed in 1791, two years after the passage of the Constitution. Source: David Jones, Wikimedia Commons

    Federalist vs Anti Federalist Ideas

    After Congress passed its version of the Constitution in 1787, the document still had to be ratified by 9 of the 13 states before it could become law (which it eventually did, in 1789).

    The time in between Congress's passage and state ratification provided the opportunity for both the federalists and antifederalists to make their case to the states. One key state that was still up in the air was New York. Politicians began making arguments in New York newspapers (which were then spread throughout the country) to persuade them to vote for or against the Constitution.

    Brutus Papers

    Someone under the pen name of "Brutus" wrote an essay published in New York arguing against the Constitution. Even though several others used different pen names to publish their antifederalist essays, the series of essays became known as Brutus Papers. They supported the antifederalist viewpoint and pushed for New York to reject the Constitution. They specifically called out the concerns over the Supremacy Clause, the Necessary and Proper Clause, Congress's authority to tax, and the lack of a Bill of Rights (with particular attention to protections for the rights of the accused).

    The other authors (and their pen names) are believed to be George Clinton, Governor of New York (Cato), Patrick Henry, Samuel Bryan (Centinel), Richard Henry Lee (The Federal Farmer), and Robert Yates (Brutus)

    Federalist Papers

    When the federalist camp saw the Brutus papers published in the paper, they knew they had to respond or risk losing New York's support for the Constitution. Their collection of published essays became known as The Federalist Papers. The Federalist Papers were written under the pen name "Publius." Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay are credited with writing the 85 Federalist Papers.

    The Federalist Papers provided a comprehensive rebuttal to each point brought up in the Brutus papers. Even after the Brutus papers stopped being published, the Federalist Papers (at that point, mostly written by Alexander Hamilton) continued in a flurry. The essays argued that the country was the perfect size for a Republic, the system of checks and balances and branched government would prevent the government from growing too powerful, the country need a strong executive to lead it (the president), and an independent Supreme Court would keep the power of Congress and the President in check.

    Foundations of American Government Federalist and Antifederalist Views on American Governance Federalist Papers bound book StudySmarterFigure 4: The Federalist Papers were published as a book and disseminated throughout the country. Source: Americas Library, Wikimedia Commons, CC-PD-Mark

    Federalist vs Anti Federalist - Key Takeaways

    • Federalism vs. antifederalism centers on the relationship between the federal government and state governments.
    • Federalists wanted a strong central (federal) government, while antifederalists wanted states to have greater authority.
    • The debates came to a head during the Constitutional Convention over areas like the Supremacy Clause, the Necessary and Proper Clause, the Commerce Clause, and the Bill of Rights.
    • When the Constitution went to the states for ratification, the antifederalists published arguments against it in the Brutus Papers. The federalists responded with their arguments supporting the Constitution in the Federalist Papers.
    Frequently Asked Questions about Federalist vs Anti Federalist

    What was the debate between the Federalists and Antifederalists?

    The debate between the federalists and antifederalists centered on whether the federal government or state governments should have more power.

    What do the Federalists believe?

    The Federalists believed that the young country needed to have a strong central government to unite the states and provide leadership. They felt that the system of checks and balances would prevent it from growing too powerful or tyrannical.

    What were the arguments of the Federalist and Antifederalist?

    The Federalists believed that the young country needed to have a strong central government to unite the states and provide leadership, while the Antifederalists believed that a strong central government could oppress citizens similar to what happened under British rule.

    What was the main difference between the Federalists and Antifederalists?

    The main difference between the Federalists and Antifederalists was that the Federalists pushed for a Constitution that created a strong central government, while the Antifederalists opposed the Constitution and felt that the state governments needed to be in charge.

    What were Federalists views on government?

    The Federalists believed that the young country needed to have a strong central government to unite the states and provide leadership. They supported a unitary executive and a president who could make executive decisions. They argued that the Supreme Court would help restrain the president's power.

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    The main debate between the federalists and antifederalists was the relationship between

    True or false: the federalists believed the country needed a strong central (federal) government, while the antifederalists were against a strong central government and favored states' rights

    True or False: Historical factors led early Americans to more strongly identify as Americans than as members of their respective colonies

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