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anti federalists vs federalists dbq
the political system of the united states
anti federalists vs federalists dbq
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A Comparison of the Federalists and the Republicans
Federalism a central feature of the American political system has long
been an important issue. The nature of federalism has been shaped
through the years by debates between prominent statesmen, laws, and
Supreme Court decisions. When the colonies declared their independence
from the Britain in 1776, they reacted against the British unitary
system in which all political and economic power was concentrated in
London. A major source of friction between the colonies and the mother
country was the British attempt to reclaim powers previously granted
to the colonial governments. During the American Revolution, the
states reacted to Britain unitary system by creating the Articles of
Confederation that gave virtually all powers to the states.
Anti-federalists were persons who opposed the ratification of the U.S.
Constitution in 1787-1788. They conceded that the central government
needed more power than it had under the Articles of Confederation, but
they argued that the Framers of the Constitution had gone to o far,
and, deeply suspicious of political power, feared that the centralized
government proposed by the Framers would lead to a new kind of
tyranny.
The conflict that took shape in the 1790’s between the Federalists and
Anti-federalist exercised a profound impact on American history. The
Federalist, led by Alexander Hamilton, who had married into the
wealthy Schuyler family, represented the urban mercantile interests of
the seaports; the Anti-federalists, led by Thomas Jefferson, spoke for
the rural and southern interests. The debate between the two concerned
the power of the central government versus that of the states, with
the Federalists favoring the former and the Anti-federalists
advocating states’ rights. Hamilton sought strong central government
acting in the interests of commerce and industry. He brought to public
life a love of efficiency, order and organization.
Few Americans believe that the federalists system should be abandoned,
but the nature of federalism is still a controversy today, and
The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, believed in supremacy of national government, broad and loose interpretation of the Constitution, and commercial and industrial development. They were pro-British. They favored national bank and protective tariffs. Therefore, they gained support mainly from American financiers, manufacturers, merchants, and established political leaders mainly outside the South. On the contrary, the Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Madison, were suspicious of national government. They believed in strong state governments led by the “common man” and strict interpretation of the Constitution. They were pro-French, and opposed to the national bank and protective tariffs. Since they put emphasis on agriculture, they gained support from wealthy southern planters and ordinary farmers throughout the country.
When it comes down to foreign relations, Federalists think the United States should not support the French war. They think the war would diminish the liberty, stability, and economy of the country. The Hamiltonians supported Jay’s Treaty associated with Britain. Britain has a very good economic system, so the Federalists are very close to them. Democratic-Republicans think the United States being in the French War was a good idea because we are fighting against an autocrat. The Democratic-Republicans fight Britain because of their monarchy. They thought that the United States should side with France in war against Britain because we had France help us in our war to get rid of a tyrant king.
The Federalists and Anti-federalists shared the common beliefs of John Locke’s Enlightenment ideals such as all men were born equal (even though most of these men owned slaves), but their opinions about the role of government were different. Both parties had their own visions of how a new government would function and how the Constitution would support the government being proposed. Many argued that the Articles of Confederation had created a very weak government with very limited power. Specifically, the amount of power or the absence of power of a central government was the main disagreement between the Federalists and Anti-federalists. As a result, the Federalists and Anti-federalists argued about the ratification of a new constitution, which would give the central government more power.
Alexander Hamilton was a Federalist. A federalist is Supporter of the Constitution during the debate over its ratification; someone who favored a strong central government. Hamilton believed in a loose interpretation of the Constitution. This means that he believed that the Constitution was a set of guidelines that did not need to be followed strictly. Hamilton wanted to expand the economy and increase the nation's wealth by using the power of the federal government to promote
... middle of paper ... ... The Antifederalists and Federalists opinions differed because each party’s social background originated from different parts of the country. The north agreed with Hamilton’s plans, including a national bank, to solve the country’s debt problems, but the south rejected the idea.
The Republicans and Federalists views differed drastically, so much so that the president George Washington had accusations of favoring Alexander Hamilton and The Federalists, as his accuser was clearly Thomas Jefferson. In fact, Republicans were the minority among Federalists, however, they were strong-willed in their beliefs. Thomas Jefferson coined life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and that is what he and the Republicans hoped for from the government. In conclusion, Jefferson and The Republicans finally achieved harmony when Jefferson became vice president in 1796, and admirably in 1801 citizens elected Jefferson as president, in which he served until 1809. Jefferson and the Republicans fought long and hard for the government rule to be limited, which in “The Declaration of Independence” Jefferson writes about unalienable rights, although the government was not directly controlling the citizens anymore, they made laws and continue today to make laws that secretly ensure that the citizens are obeying official
Anti –federalist believed that with out the bill of rights, the national government would became a to strong it would threating the americans peoples rights and libertys. Due to prior american revolution, ant-federalist did not forget what they fought for an believed that with a stronger national government, the president could become kind if he wanted. During this time people still feared a strong central government, due to british occupany of the states. Concidently the of people who wanted the bill of rights and were anti-federalist were famers and the working class, as to the fedarlist were extremely rich and powerful people Thomas Jeferson who was a active anti-federalist once wrote to james Madison A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth, general or particular; and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inferences. (Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1787. ME 6:388, Papers
In 1787, the United States of America Constitution was ratified by two-thirds of the states. The Constitution created a new government in the United States of America that was constructed around the idea of separation of power by the three branches of government with a system of checks and balances. These branches include the executive branch, the bicameral legislative branch and judicial branch. In order to ensure that no branch were to overpower the other two branches, the forefathers of the United States of America created a system of checks and balances. In the new government of the United States of America, the president had a Cabinet with a Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of War, Attorney General and Postmaster General. George Washington, the first president of the United States of America, asked Thomas Jefferson to be the Secretary of State and asked Alexander Hamilton to be the Secretary of the Treasury. Because of the polarity of their political beliefs, Thomas Jefferson, a Republican who believed in strong states rights, and Alexander Hamilton, a Federalist who believed in a strong federal government, had differing opinions on all matters in the government. While Jefferson written that all men are created equal in the Declaration of Independence, Hamilton had helped created the constitution that founded a strong federal government. Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton laid the groundwork for America’s first two-party system. It is partly because of Thomas Jefferson was the Secretary of State, the Cabinet's expert on foreign affairs, and Alexander Hamilton was the Secretary of the Treasury, the Cabinet’s expert on economic affairs, and partly because they were obliged to work together and prese...
While the Federalists believe in a strong, central government, the Anti-Federalists believe in the shared power of state and national governments to maintain the rights of all Americans .The Anti-Federalist favored a confederated government were the state and national governments could share power ,protect citizen’s freedom ,and independence. The Anti-Federalists found many problems in the Constitution. Many were concerned the central government take was all individual rights. Anti-Federalist primarily consisted of farmers and tradesmen and was less likely to be a part of the wealthy elite than were members of their rival the Federalist. Many Anti-federalists were local politicians who feared losing power should the Constitution be ratified and argued that senators that served for too long and represented excessively large territories would cause senators to forget what their responsibilities were for that state. They argued that the Constitution would give the country an entirely new and unknown form of government and saw no reason in throwing out the current government. Instead, they believed that the Federalists had over-stated the current problems of the country and wanted improved characterization of power allowable to the states. They also maintained that the Framers of the Constitution had met as a discriminatory group under an order of secrecy and had violated the stipulations of the Articles of Confederation in the hopes for the for ratification of the Constitution. The Anti-Federalist were sure that the Constitution would take away the rights of the American citizens and fought hard to stop the ratification on the
As the young colonies of America broke away from their mother country and began to grow and develop into an effective democratic nation, many changes occurred. As the democracy began to grow, two main political parties developed, the Jeffersonian Republicans and the Federalists. Each party had different views on how the government should be run. The Jeffersonian Republicans believed in strong state governments, a weak central government, and a strict construction of the Constitution. The Federalists opted for a powerful central government with weaker state governments, and a loose interpretation of the Constitution. Throughout the years, the political parties have grown, developed, and even dispersed into totally new factions. Many of the inconsistencies and changes can be noted throughout the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
Jefferson’s beliefs in local self government created differences between himself and Alexander Hamilton which created the Federalists (Hamilton followers) and the Democrat Republican’s (Jefferson followers).
The leaders of the anti-Federalists were Patrick Henry from Virginia, George Mason from Virginia, Richard Henry Lee from Virginia, James Monroe from Virginia, George Clinton from New York, Samuel Adams from Massachusetts, Elbridge Gerry from Massachusetts, Luther Martin from Maryland, and Samuel Chase from Maryland. The anti-Federalist leaders were men who had their careers and reputations already established. The anti-Federalists were the losers in the Constitution debate. They had accepted their defeat very well. They did not attempt to create problems and start fights or wars. Instead some leaders became well-known leaders in the government. James Monroe was the fifth president. George Clinton, along with Elbridge Gerry became vice presidents. Samuel Chase was in the Supreme Court. The anti-Federalists brought awareness to the subject matter of giving more power to the government and how dangerous it could be. They thought the Constitution could be improved with a bill of rights. They brought awareness to why our government needed to include a bill of rights. They wanted one to protect the rights of the people and the states. The anti-Federalists found the ratification process unreliable. They were correct because the Articles of Confederation stated it being
The Constitution, when first introduced, set the stage for much controversy in the United States. The two major parties in this battle were the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. The Federalists, such as James Madison, were in favor of ratifying the Constitution. On the other hand, the Anti-Federalists, such as Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee, were against ratification. Each party has their own beliefs on why or why not this document should or should not be passed. These beliefs are displayed in the following articles: Patrick Henry's "Virginia Should Reject the Constitution," Richard Henry Lee's "The Constitution Will Encourage Aristocracy," James Madison's "Federalist Paper No. 10," and "The Letters to Brutus." In these documents, many aspects of the Constitution, good and bad, are discussed. Although the Federalists and Anti-Federalists had very conflicting views, many common principals are discussed throughout their essays. The preservation of liberty and the effects of human nature are two aspects of these similarities. Although the similarities exist, they represent and support either the views of the Federalists or the Anti-Federalists.
The Anti-Federalist Party, led by Patrick Henry, objected to the constitution. They objected to it for a few basic reasons. Mostly the Anti-Federalists thought that the Constitution created too strong a central government. They felt that the Constitution did not create a Federal government, but a single national government. They were afraid that the power of the states would be lost and that the people would lose their individual rights because a few individuals would take over. They proposed a “Bill of Rights”, to make sure the citizens were protected by the law. They believed that no Bill of Rights would be equal to no check on our government for the people.
After winning the Revolutionary War and sovereign control of their home country from the British, Americans now had to deal with a new authoritative issue: who was to rule at home? In the wake of this massive authoritative usurpation, there were two primary views of how the new American government should function. Whereas part of the nation believed that a strong, central government would be the most beneficial for the preservation of the Union, others saw a Confederation of sovereign state governments as an option more supportive of the liberties American’s fought so hard for in the Revolution. Those in favor of a central government, the Federalists, thought this form of government was necessary to ensure national stability, unity and influence concerning foreign perception. Contrastingly, Anti-Federalists saw this stronger form of government as potentially oppressive and eerily similar to the authority’s tendencies of the British government they had just fought to remove. However, through the final ratification of the Constitution, new laws favoring state’s rights and the election at the turn of the century, one can say that the Anti-Federalist view of America prevails despite making some concessions in an effort to preserve the Union.