After America finally broke away from Great Britain, a new system of government was needed to maintain order and protect the rights of the people. Naturally, not everyone agreed on how this should be done, and two groups arose with opposing points of view on how the new American government should be run. These groups were the Federalists and Anti-federalists. The Federalists were in favor of a strong central (federal) government, while the Anti-federalists believed in strong state governments. Although their views were divergent, their motive was still basically the same. Both were venturing out to find a way to preserve the liberty, independence, and security of the people.
The Federalists wanted power to be concentrated in the central government. They felt that this was the most effective way to keep order, while at the same time protecting the rights of citizens. The Federalists thought that if too much power was given to state governments, it would backfire. The nation would not be unified, and people’s rights could easily become infringed upon. They believed that having the same set of rules and regulations for all states was a much safer route then having each state makes its own rules. The Federalists wanted to get rid of the Articles of Confederation completely; they felt a new Constitution was necessary.
The Essay on Government 2 People Good Rights
In order to have a good government, the people are the most important part. It is ultimately the people who have to live with what they choose. The government has to protect the people's natural rights and beliefs. It has to do whatever is necessary to look out for the peoples best interests. The Declaration of Independence and Robespierre's Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen both have ...
The Anti-federalists had their own idea on how the new government should be run. They disagreed with the Federalist idea of a strong central government. They thought that state governments should be the most powerful. To the Anti-federalists, a small republic was the most effective way to preserve personal rights, and for common interest groups to be formed. They did not feel that a new constitution was needed; they simply wanted to amend and strengthen the Articles of Confederation. They felt that the lack of a bill of rights and a powerful federal government would put serious restrictions on their civil liberties.
Federalists and Anti-federalists had conflicting views, so it is only logical that they would consist of very different groups of people. The Federalists were mainly from the North. They were educated and wealthy. Most of them were commercial farmers, merchants, or holders of debt. They lived in major cities, port cities, or commercial farming areas. The Federalists also owned most of the major newspapers. All of these factors made it easy for them to mobilize and get their ideas spread around. The Anti-Federalists were located mainly in the South. Their supporters were backcountry farmers and state centered politicians. They did not have the capability of gaining more supporters because they didn’t have the means to disperse their ideas to many other people. The two groups probably had such different ideas on how the government should be run because the came from completely opposite backgrounds.
In the end, the Federalists won; the Anti-federalists proved to be no match for them. For every argument the Anti-federalists made, the Federalists seemed to have a solution. For example, when the Anti-federalists argued that strengthening the central government would cause it to become too controlling, the Federalists’ retort was that by separating the government into three different braches it would prevent one from becoming too power-hungry. The Federalists had many advantages that caused their victory, and the Anti-federalists were eventually forced to give in. At first, Anti-federalists were afraid that this new system of government would seriously hinder their civil liberties, but they were much more relaxed when the Bill of Rights was put into the Constitution. The Articles of Confederation were then replaced with the United States Constitution after it had been ratified by the remaining states.
The Essay on The US Federal Government and state governments
The government of the United States is constantly changing. From the moment the country was born until today, there have been many eras and concepts that have transpired over the years. The United States federal government and state and local governments have gone through periods for transition from 1781 to the present day in which their relationships where continuously changing. In order to ...
In conclusion, even though the Federalists won, both groups ultimately wanted to protect the human rights of the people, so in some way they both got what they wanted.
