Hang Truong
APUSH- 6th Period
Mr. Graham
24 October 2014
Federalists vs. Antifederalists The antifederalists were a group of people who opposed the ratification of the Constitution. They believed that much power would be taken away from the people of local governments and given to strengthen the federal government. They felt that the interests of the poor and common folks were not as supported as that of wealthy by the new government. Many feared the return of a monarchy similar to that of Great Britain’s at the time and thus took leadership into preventing such a government. John Hancock, Patrick Henry, Sam Adams and Thomas Jefferson were leaders who were firmly against the Constitution. The federalists actively supported and thought it necessary…show more content… This gap created by poor representation will then lead to more chaos and confusion. A strong central government would eventually be accompanied by an increase in taxation; taxing on a national level was viewed unfair by the antifederalists. All in all, the antifederalists basically feared that a strong central government would lead to tyranny and corruption. They favored rights of the states and wanted more power for state government, thus the idea of a strengthened central government was opposed by the antifederalists. On the other side of the debate are the federalists, who favored the Constitution. The leaders were Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, james Madison. Alexander Hamilton says, “The Constitution is the perfect balance between liberty and power.” Federalists believed that social gains of the American Revolution were defended and liberties of Americans were protected by the Constitution. A collective set of published essays called the Federalist Papers expressed views on the Constitution and federalism in…show more content… Those limits include separated power by the Constitution, checks and balances, and a fair jury system. They also felt a need for a powerful central government in order to earn respect of other countries. For a weak union is vulnerable to civil wars and foreign powers. A federal government focused on economic and social changes brought by pluralism or unification of the country. The federalists also viewed Articles of Confederation were weak and useless because it went against the federalistic favoring of a strong central government by limiting the power of the government. They also felt that a Bill of Rights would be