U.S. history concepts · AP U.S. History
Federalists and Anti-Federalists
Federalists and Anti-Federalists: The supporters and opponents of ratifying the U.S. Constitution in 1787 and 1788.
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What it means
Federalists, including James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, argued that a stronger national government was needed to fix the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. Anti-Federalists feared the Constitution gave too much power to a distant central government and lacked protections for individual rights.
The debate produced the Federalist Papers and contributed to the adoption of the Bill of Rights in 1791, a key Anti-Federalist demand.
Example
Anti-Federalist essays such as those by 'Brutus' warned that a large republic could not represent the interests of ordinary people.
On the exam
This debate appears in APUSH Period 3 and is central to AP U.S. Government's foundational documents.