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The Anti-Federalist and the Fight for States Rights and Smal

            The Anti-Federalist and the Fight for States Rights and Small Government.
             At the Constitutional Convention of 1787 a group of delegates, lead by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison proposed the adoption of a new system of government for the former English Colonies in the New World. At the time of the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1791 those who supported it where called Federalist and those who didn't where called Anti-Federalist. The Anti-Federalist feared that with the adoption of a centralized national government the rights of individuals would diminish and the newly won powers of the 13 American States would be usurped. The essential argument of the Anti-Federalist was that the building of a large centralized government would rob the people of there newly found liberty. They favored a less extreme approach, one that would work to improve the existing system of government framed in the Articles of Confederation. The Anti-Federalist preferred the union as it was "well constructed and protective of its citizen's liberties."".
             They believed as Montesquieu did that democracy could only succeed in a small nearly homogeneous republic. Based on this belief the Anti-Federalist argued that against the adoption of the Constitution. Most important to the Anti-Federalist was the safeguarding of personal freedom and the sovereignty of the people. In the mind of the Anti-Federalist the ideal system was the one that was "the least burdensome- and still defended the rights and liberties of the people. The Anti-federalist where working to create a system of government that was centered on the different and individual characters of each region of America. They sought to frame a nation in which the people declared their ultimate sovereignty and power and closely delegated this power to a selected few to administer the confederacy. .
             While the federalist aimed to control minority faction through a system of checks and balance, the Anti-Federalist wished to eliminate faction as much as possible.


Essays Related to The Anti-Federalist and the Fight for States Rights and Smal

1. Antifederalists and the Constitution

Antifederalists in small states opposed this, believing that they were not being represented adequately. ... The Antifederalists viewed the federal judiciary system as another threat to individuals' liberties and the states' independence. ... The Antifederalists pointed out that the Constitution, because of its ambiguous word choice, did not clearly state which rights, if any, should be granted to individuals. ... The Antifederalists suggested a Bill of Rights, clearly listing the limitations of the government's authority over its citizens. ... The biggest victory the Antifedera...

  • Word Count: 1653
  • Approx Pages: 7

2. History of the United States Constitution

During the Constitutional Convention, delegates agreed on created fundamental changes but conflicting interests of the states led to compromises which when presented to the states, a Federalist-Antifederalist battle for ratification ensued. ... It was reciprocated with mixed ideas generally put into categories of federalist and antifederalist. ... The whole idea of the United States was not to be put under the power of a government like the British which they had painstakingly fought against in the Revolutionary War which would make sense since many of the antifederalists were revolutionarie...

  • Word Count: 1291
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Miracle Of The Divine

This rejection divided the delegates from small and large states. ... Ten states to none, the Convention voted against adding a bill of rights. ... Similarly, when the Constitution was first published in newspapers and magazines throughout the colonies, Antifederalists screamed for blood. ... Hamilton later states that the Constitution is, in every rational sense, a bill of rights. He goes on to mention that every states constitution is also their bill of rights and the British constitution is made up of several bills of rights. ...

  • Word Count: 2162
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

4. The Ongoing Abortion Controversy

To settle the conflict between the Antifederalists and the Federalists, the writers of the Constitution threw in a few specific rights (Amendments One through Eight) to fulfill the desires of the Antifederalists. The rest of the rights of a United States citizen would be protected under the Ninth Amendment, which states, "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people " ("Amendment IX " 1). ... The National Constitution Center states "The Supreme Court has found that unenumerated rights include such important r...

  • Word Count: 1391
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. Farmers

Of the Antifederalist pamphlets, two were of special importance because of their extensive distributions and widespread readership. ... The Federal Republican Society was organized by Smith and was responsible for distributing Antifederal literature to Antifederalists in other states. ... After Smith died in 1798, Greenleaf wrote Smith's obituary, which was printed in Greenleaf's paper the New York Journal Greenleaf praised Smith as a "patriot and a friend to the rights of man." ... Smith maintained contact with Antifederalists in other states while attending the convention. ...

  • Word Count: 1016
  • Approx Pages: 4

6. The Preamble and Govermental Effectiveness

Antifederalists, people who were opposed to the adoption of the Constitution, feared that the national government would become so powerful that it would eventually destroy the state governments. ... As one can probably imagine, the Antifederalists and the Federalists had to make a compromise in order for the Constitution to succeed - the Bill of Rights compromise. The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments of the Constitution; they protected the individual rights and freedoms of United States citizens. Some of these rights and freedoms are outlined in the Preamble. ... This case limited t...

  • Word Count: 1639
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. What Caused Political Divisions Before And After 1789.

This became a political division, those who wanted to keep the articles of confederation and were against the constitution became known as the antifederalist, and those who supported the constitution were federalist. Federalist wanted a strong central government, which the antifederalist feared because they didn't want a government that would become too powerful and unfair, since it didn't contain a bill of rights. ... He didn't support Hamilton's financial plan because by having the nation assume all state debts, its unfair for those states who had paid most of the...

  • Word Count: 516
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Articles Of Confederation

The people of each state were given equal privileges and rights, freedom of movement was guaranteed, and procedures for the trials of accused criminals were outlined. ... George Mason, an antifederalist, objected to the final document because of the possibility that this new government would create an aristocracy. Mason also proposed that, "there is no declaration of Rights" and the "Legislature cannot prohibit the further Importation of Slaves," which he felt was destructive of the country's moral fiber (114). On the Bill of Rights issue, the government did not need regulations that stat...

  • Word Count: 1442
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography

9. America and the Articles of Confederation

When new territorie's populations reached 60,000, they could become new states. ... Those who opposed the adoption of the constitution were known as the Antifederalists. ... Several arguments were voiced repeatedly during the ratification debates: That the Convention had exceeded its authority in producing a new constitution; That the Constitution established the basis for a monarchical regime; That the Constitution lacked explicit protections for individual and states rights. ... The Constitution was ratified by all thirteen States, and The United States of America was born. In the end,...

  • Word Count: 681
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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