What are federalists/what did they believe in?
- Supporters of the constitution
- Believed in a strong central government
- Insisted that division of powers/system of checks and balances would protect US from the tyranny of centralized authority
Who are the leading supporters/federalists?
George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay
What are anti-federalists/what did they believe in?
- Opposed a strong central government
- Against constitution
- Countered with list of possible abuses of power of a strong central government:
a. Would serve the interests of the privileged minority
b. Would ignore rights of the majority
c. Doubted a single government could manage the affairs of a large country
d. Constitution’s lack of protection for individual rights
e. Felt states lost a lot of power
Who were leading non-supporters/anti-federalists?
Patrick Henry, Sam Adams, Richard Henry Lee, and Elbridge Gerry
What are the federalist papers?
- Pro - constitution writings
- 85 essays in NY newspapers 1787-1788
- Published by signature “Publius”
- Written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and
John Jay
What is ratification/what does ratifying mean?
Approval/confirming something by vote
Why was the Bill of Rights needed according to anti-federalists?
The Constitution weakened states, and they needed something in central government to protect individual rights
What changed in the constitution?
The Bill of Rights was added
