Name:
U.S. History & Government
Date:
Groner
Should the Constitution be ratified?
Antifederalist
Concern
Federalist
Response
The Constitution will give too much
power to the federal government
The Constitution will give the federal
government enough power to solve the
country’s problems
The President will be act just like a
king
The system of checks & balances will limit
the power of the president
Individual liberties will be
threatened by a powerful
government
The Bill of Rights will protect the freedoms
of the citizens
The Constitution will give the
national government too much power
The country is too big to be controlled or
dominated by one section
Federalists and Anti-Federalists
The creation of the Constitution entailed hours of debate and compromise, and even when it was completed, some
delegates were unhappy with it. The task of fixing the ailing Confederate government was not complete yet; each
state had to ratify, or approve, the Constitution. Basically, people divided into two groups, the Federalists and the
Anti-Federalists. Each of their viewpoints is worth examining, as they both have sound reasoning.
The Anti-Federalists did not want to ratify the Constitution. Basically, they argue that:

It gave too much power to the national government at the expense of the state governments.

There was no bill of rights.

The national government could maintain an army in peacetime.

Congress, because of the `necessary and proper clause,' wielded too much power.

The executive branch held too much power.
Of these complaints, the lack of a bill of rights was the most effective. The American people had just fought a war
to defend their rights, and they did not want a intimidating national
government taking those rights away again. The lack of a bill of rights was
the focus of the Anti-Federalist campaign against ratification.
The Federalists, on the other hand, had answers to all of the Anti-Federalist
complaints. Among them:

The separation of powers into three independent branches
protected the rights of the people. Each branch represents a
different aspect of the people, and because all three branches are equal, no one group can assume
control over another.

A listing of rights can be a dangerous thing. If the national government were to protect specific
listed rights, what would stop it from violating rights other than the listed ones? Since we can't list
all the rights, the Federalists argued that it's better to list none at all.
Overall, the Federalists were more organized in their efforts. They even published a series of essays called the
Federalist Papers to convince the states to ratify the new federal constitution. By June of 1788, the Constitution
was close to ratification. Nine states had ratified it, and only one more (New Hampshire) was needed. To achieve
this, the Federalists agreed that once Congress met, it would draft a bill of rights. Finally, New York and
Virginia approved, and the Constitution was a reality. Interestingly, the Bill of Rights was not originally a part of
the Constitution, and yet it has proved to be highly important to protecting the rights of the people.
Directions: All of the following statements refer to the debate over ratification of the Constitution. As you read the section, in
the space provided, write Federalist if the statement might have been said by a Federalist or write Anti-Federalist if the statement
might have been said by an Anti-federalist.
_______________________ 1. “I think those delegates exceeded their authority in creating a whole new government. They were
just supposed to work on the Articles a bit.”
_______________________ 2. “What Americans need is a bill of rights, and this new government will not get my approval until
we have one.”
_______________________ 3. “I think this new plan will provide a good balance of power.”
_______________________ 4. “Those people want to make the United States undemocratic and get special privileges for a
limited few Americans.”
_______________________ 5. “It’s obvious that the Articles weren’t working, and I think this new plan reflects a careful
compromise among a variety of opinions.”
_______________________ 6. “I and my two friends wrote our essays under the name ‘Publius’ because we wanted people to be
influenced only by the facts.”
_______________________ 7. “If we give too much power to a central government, what’s to stop the United States from
becoming a monarchy like Britain?”
_______________________ 8. “I think it’s important for people to realize that the large size and diversity of the United States
will make it impossible for any single group to form a majority that could dominate the
government.”
_______________________ 9. “I encouraged the delegates at the Convention to sign the Constitution and I fear that this nation
will crumble if the states do not accept it.”
______________________10. “I’m just a simple farmer, but I think those supporters of the Constitution expect to get all the
power into their own hands.”