Name: ________________________ Date: ____________________
Federalist/Anti-Federalists Quick Notes
Once the Constitution was completed, the states had to approve it. Most of the delegates signed it at the convention. These delegates now worked to approve it, which is called ratifying. Each state held a convention to study it and decide if it was ready to be put in place. To approve the Constitution, 9 out of 13 states had to approve it. There were delegates who wanted the Constitution (Federalists) and there were delegates who were opposed to it (Anti-Federalists).
Federalists
They favored the Constitution
They wanted a strong national government
They believed that a strong central authority was needed to defend the nation and keep it united
Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison (the father of the
Constitution) were well-known federalists
They wrote 85 essays in the New York newspapers using the same name,
Publius
These essays became known as the Federalists papers, which explained how the new government would work under the new Constitution o Federalist, No. 10 explained how the systems of separated and shared powers in national and state governments worked o Federalists, No. 51 explained the principle of checks and balances o Federalist, No. 78 explained the importance of having an independent judicial branch
These essays told readers about the rule of law; leaders must act according to the law
The military needs to be under civilian control, the president would be in charge (chief civilian)

Explained the enumerated powers, the 18 powers written in the
Constitution
Anti-Federalists
They favored stronger state governments than what the Constitution outlined
They thought the Constitution would take away state and individual rights
They thought that the national government was too powerful