Federalists vs Anti-Federalists

Federalists vs Antifederalists

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Multiple Choice

Who said it?

• Federalist

• Anti-Federalist

Multiple Choice

Who said it?

• Federalist

• Anti-Federalist

Multiple Choice

Who said it?

• Federalist

• Anti-Federalist

Multiple Choice

Who said it?

• Federalist

• Anti-Federalist

Multiple Choice

Who said it?

• Federalist

• Anti-Federalist

Multiple Choice

Who said it?

• Federalist

• Anti-Federalist

Multiple Choice

Who said it?

• Federalist

• Anti-Federalist

Multiple Choice

Who said it?

• Federalist

• Anti-Federalist

Writing the Constitution: Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

by Caryn Johnson

​Constitutional Convention of 1787

• ​By 1787, most states agreed that the Articles of Confederation were too weak and ineffective.

• ​A convention was scheduled for May 1787 in Philadelphia.

• ​The official goal of this convention was to REVISE the Articles of Confederation.

  • ​Make small changes

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the best definition of the word REVISE?

• To completely get rid of something

• To change something a little bit

• To start over with something new

• To draft a document

Multiple Choice

What was the main goal of the Constitutional Convention?

• To write an entirely new government

• To fix the Articles of Confederation with little changes

• To declare independence from Great Britain

• To protest tax laws

The delegates who attended the Constitutional Convention had very different ideas ​about their goals for the Convention.

​

​Federalists

• ​wanted a new constitution

• ​wanted a strong federal government

• ​supported by wealthy, educated merchants

• ​led by:

  • ​George Washington

  • ​Alexander Hamilton

  • ​James Madison

​Anti-federalists

• ​wanted to keep the AOC & make revisions

• ​wanted independent states

• ​supported by farmers & common people

• ​led by:

  • ​Thomas Jefferson

  • ​Patrick Henry

  • ​George Mason

Fill in the Blanks

supported the idea of keeping the Articles of Confederation.

Multiple Choice

What does the word FEDERAL mean in this sentence:

They wanted a strong federal government.

• state

• national

• world

• weak

Multiple Choice

The federal government makes rules for ......

• just one state

• the whole world

• the entire country (all states)

• just one city

Fill in the Blanks

supported the having a strong federal government.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes what an ANTI-FEDERALIST would be against?

• strong state governments

• each state being independent

• not having a President

• strong federal governments

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes something a FEDERALIST would want?

• a strong national government

• each state being independent

• a weak national government

• a strong state government

At the Constitutional Convention, James Madison ​, a federalist, came up with a new plan of government.

​

This earned him the title: Father of the Constitution

The OLD Plan

• ​Articles of Confederation

• ​"Just friends"

• ​Each state was independent

Multiple Choice

Which group would support the OLD plan? (Articles of Confederation)

• Federalists

• Patriots

• Loyalists

• Anti-Federalists

Multiple Choice

Why would Anti-federalists support the OLD plan?

• It allowed the national government to control all the states.

• It allowed each state to remain independent & keep their power.

• It made the President very powerful.

• It made the President very weak.

​The NEW Plan

• Madison's Federal Constitution

• ​States must obey the national government

• ​Multiple levels of government

• ​3 branches of government at the national level

Fill in the Blanks

True or False: In Madison's federal government, the federal government had to obey the states.

Multiple Choice

Which group would have supported the NEW plan?

• Federalists

• Anti-Federalists

• Patriots

• Loyalists

Multiple Choice

Why would federalists like Madison's NEW plan?

• It allowed the states to remain independent

• It made the states more powerful than the national government

• It made the national government more powerful than the states

• It allowed the states to disobey the national government

The Ratification Debate

A clash between Federalists and Antifederalists over the ratification of the Constitution in the United States.

The Ratification Debate

Guiding Questions:
- What were the main arguments for and against ratifying the Constitution?
- Why did Antifederalists insist on adding a bill of rights to the constitution?
- What difficulties were encountered during the process of ratification?

Key Terms:
- Federalist: Supported a stronger central government
- Antifederalist: Wanted to limit federal government powers
- Federalist Papers: Essays defending the Constitution
- Amend: Process of making changes to the Constitution

Multiple Choice

Why did Antifederalists insist on adding a bill of rights to the constitution?

• What were the main arguments for ratifying the Constitution?

• What were the main arguments against ratifying the Constitution?

• What difficulties were encountered during the process of ratification?

• What is the process of making changes to the Constitution called?

Arguments Against Ratifying the Constitution

• Loss of State Sovereignty: Antifederalists feared that the Constitution would diminish the power of individual states.
• Lack of Bill of Rights: They insisted on adding a bill of rights to protect individual liberties.
• Centralized Government: Antifederalists believed that the Constitution would create a strong central government that could potentially become tyrannical.

Federalists vs. Antifederalists

The Ratification Debate: Federalists (Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay) supported a powerful central government and elitism. Antifederalists (Thomas Jefferson, 'Brutus', 'Cato') favored stronger state governments, participatory democracy, and protection of individual rights. New York ratified the Constitution by a narrow margin. The Anti-Federalists' concerns led to the ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791.

Multiple Choice

Who were the main supporters of a powerful central government and elitism during the Ratification Debate?

• Thomas Jefferson and 'Brutus'

• Alexander Hamilton and James Madison

• John Jay and 'Cato'

• James Madison and Thomas Jefferson

Supporters of Central Government

Alexander Hamilton and James Madison were the main supporters of a powerful central government and elitism during the Ratification Debate. They believed in a strong federal government to maintain order and protect individual rights. Their ideas laid the foundation for the creation of the United States Constitution.

The Ratification Debate

• Federalists: Supported a strong federal government and believed that the Articles of Confederation gave too much power to states, weakening the federal government.
• Antifederalists: Opposed the constitution and demanded a Bill of Rights to protect individual freedoms. They were concerned about a strong federal government and the power of the President.

Multiple Choice

What did the Antifederalists demand to protect individual freedoms?

• A strong federal government

• The power of the President

• A Bill of Rights

• The Articles of Confederation

Antifederalists' Demand

A Bill of Rights was demanded by the Antifederalists to protect individual freedoms. They believed that without explicit guarantees, the new federal government would become too powerful. The Bill of Rights, added to the Constitution in 1791, ensured the protection of individual liberties and limited the government's authority.

The Ratification Process

• The states held conventions to vote on ratifying the new constitution.
• Public had a chance to hear arguments for and against the new proposed government.
• Massachusetts was the first test, where influential patriot leaders were slow to support the constitution.
• Patriot leaders eventually supported ratification after convincing the state to ask for a Bill of Rights.
• Virginia and New York were key battleground states.
• Rhode Island became the last state to ratify the constitution on May 29, 1790.

Multiple Choice

Which state was the last to ratify the constitution?

• Massachusetts

• Virginia

• New York

• Rhode Island

Rhode Island

Rhode Island was the last state to ratify the constitution. It took them almost 3 years to do so, as they were concerned about the lack of a Bill of Rights. Rhode Island finally ratified on May 29, 1790, after the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution.