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Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists Debate: The Battle for the Constitution in 1787

Dive into the historical clash between Federalists and Anti-Federalists following the Revolutionary War, as the U.S. grappled with the creation of a new Constitution. Explore arguments on government power, civil liberties, taxation, commerce, and more.

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Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists Debate: The Battle for the Constitution in 1787

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  1. Federalistsvs. Anti-Federalists

  2. Background for Our Upcoming Debate…. • The year is 1787 • The Revolutionary War is over, and the United States of America is now on its own, but being a new country isn’t easy: • Membership in the British Empire had its privileges…. The new country had lost its most favored nations status, so old markets are gone. To make matters worse, English merchants dumped their merchandise, crowding out many of those small manufacturers, mechanics, artisans who had supplied goods during the pre revolutionary boycotts

  3. States had all passed their own Constitutions… • Many had a bill of rights, and were very democratic (though some were not). • But the collective state constitutions created no unity: • States charged each other tariffs, conducted their own diplomacy, refused to pay for common defense…sometimes their own defense~ think Shays’ Rebellion.

  4. Enter the Constitution • At the Constitutional Convention, representatives from each state (except Rhode Island) began to write a list of rules to replace the weak Articles of Confederation • Most delegates wanted a strong national government, but they also wanted to have strong local governments • After much debate, the Constitution was finally signed in September 1787. It was then sent to the states to be approved……

  5. Enter the Anti-Federalists • Even some of the men at the convention thought the Constitution gave the new federal government too much power. • They argued that states should have more power because they were closer to the people…what could a national government possibly know about state and city problems? • Also, there was no Bill of Rights – nothing that said what people can and cannot do. • Those opposed set out to campaign against the Constitution, arguing that it would create a government with so much power, it would just be like having a king again.

  6. The FEDERALISTS, those in favor of the Constitution, waged their own campaign: • The most famous were Madison, Hamilton, Jay, authors of what became known as the Federalist Papers, but there there were many other supporters as well….. • They argued in favor of the new Constitution and the need for a stronger central government.

  7. Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists • The Constitution needed 9 of the 13 states to approve it in order for it to become law • In ratification conventions in many of the states, and in newspapers, pamphlets, and in terverns and coffeehouses, Both sides (the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists) tried to convince people their side was right.

  8. Areas of disagreement included: • Whether some sorts of protections of civil liberties were necessary (a Bill of Rights). • Whether the President might become a king~ there was no limit on the number of terms he could serve • Whether Judges serving for life would mean that they had no concern for the people. • TAXES~Would the new government tax the people to death? • Commerce Powers~ Would the new federal government be able to destroy state commerce? • Would the states lose their powers? • Would people who knew nothing about local issues run everything? • Was the Constitution was designed by a propertied aristocracy, (2) the Constitution contained no bill of rights? • Had the Constitutional Convention gone beyond its authorized authority to amend the Articles of Confederation? • Would the the newly created federal government completely overwhelm the power of the states?

  9. Your Debate…… • All Members of each side should deliver brief statements that take one aspect of the new Constitution and use it as the basis of your argument. Once both sides have been heard you’ll ask questions back and forth. You may be your self, or you may choose a character, such as Amos Singletary, who spoke in Massachusetts, or Melanchthon Smith Or John Jay, of New York, or Edmund Randolph of Virginia, or you may speak for yourself. • Each side needs a captain who will make sure that all arguments are covered and chosen roles are not duplicated.

  10. Where to look for your side of the argument: • http://www.pinzler.com/ushistory/argantfedsupp.html • http://blogs.dickinson.edu/hist-404pinsker/category/word-clouds/ • http://stgapgov.pbworks.com/w/page/7198986/Federalists%20and%20Anti-Federalists • http://library.thinkquest.org/11572/creation/framing/feds.html • http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_faf.html • http://www.constitution.org/afp/afpchron.htm • http://www.texaslre.org/federalists_game/federalists.html • And don’t forget your textbook!

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