Federalists, Anti-Federalists, and the US Constitution

Following the Constitutional Convention's conclusion on September 17, 1787, the US Constitution's ratification process began immediately. The Constitution's supporters called themselves Federalists, emphasizing power-sharing between national and state governments, despite the central government gaining more power than the existing Articles of Confederation.

Federalists labeled their opponents Anti-Federalists, a political tactic that helped secure ratification. Anti-Federalists argued that they were the true federalists, advocating for more power to the states, and that Federalists were nationalists. However, the names stuck, and a great debate began about what type of government America should have.

Federalist leaders, including George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, had served in America's earliest national institutions, the Continental Army and Congress. Based on their direct experience, they perceived the need for a stronger central government to raise revenue. Federalists made a compelling case for the Constitution in newspapers and pamphlets with a national reach.

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Hamilton, Madison, and John Jay famously defended the Constitution in a series of eighty-five essays published in New York newspapers between October 1787 and August 1788 under the name "Publius." In the spring of 1788, the essays were compiled and published as The Federalist. In the twentieth century, they became known as The Federalist Papers. Even today, jurists and scholars read The Federalist Papers to understand the Constitution's clauses' intentions.

On the other hand, the Anti-Federalists, whose notable members included George Mason, Patrick Henry, and Elbridge Gerry, drew much of their support from rural farmers, although they had prominent leaders from Virginia and Massachusetts. Since they lacked the national reach of the Federalists, they struggled to spread their message beyond their respective states.

Despite this, they published numerous essays in local newspapers opposing the ratification of the Constitution. Like the Federalists, Anti-Federalist writers used pseudonyms such as "Brutus" and "Cato" to conceal their identities. However, unlike their Federalist counterparts, Anti-Federalists rarely coordinated their efforts, and their essays were not compiled into a single collection until the twentieth century.

Despite having several advantages, such as influential leaders and a powerful case for a stronger central government, the Federalists encountered unexpected difficulties in ratifying the Constitution. The ratification process turned into a prolonged and arduous struggle, particularly after the first five states ratified the document in late 1787 and early 1788. The Anti-Federalists successfully argued that the Constitution lacked a bill of rights to protect individual liberties, and this argument gained considerable traction.

Initially, Federalists defended the decision not to include a bill of rights, but they soon adopted a different strategy, especially in large states like Massachusetts and Virginia. They promised that the first Congress would propose amendments to the Constitution after ratification. This approach proved effective. In June 1788, New Hampshire and Virginia ratified the Constitution, followed shortly by New York the following month. With the ratification by ten states, the new government had enough support to commence its operations.

In keeping with their promise, the Anti-Federalists persisted in their efforts to hold the Federalists accountable under the newly established government. North Carolina eventually ratified the Constitution in November 1789, becoming the twelfth state to do so, but only after the first Congress had drafted the Bill of Rights and sent it to the states. Rhode Island followed suit in May 1790, completing the ratification process for all thirteen original states.

Although the Anti-Federalists ultimately disappeared as a political faction, the Federalists evolved into the governing party of the Washington and Adams presidential administrations in the 1790s. Despite losing the debate over ratification, the Anti-Federalists succeeded in securing the Bill of Rights, thereby demonstrating the potential benefits of principled political opposition in the new United States.

Furthermore, the larger contest between Federalists and Anti-Federalists introduced enduring patterns of political debate, such as local versus national interests, urban versus rural perspectives, and the divide between the elite and the common people, which persist to this day.

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