36 PART oNE • THE AmERiCAN sYsTEm
Federalist
An individual who was in
favor of the adoption of
the U.S. Constitution and
the creation of a federal
union with a strong central
government.
Anti-Federalist
An individual who
opposed the ratification
of the new Constitution in- The Anti-Federalists
were opposed to a strong
central government.
n Limited government with written laws, in contrast to the powerful British government
against which the colonists had rebelled.
n Separation of powers, with checks and balances among branches to prevent any one
branch from gaining too much power.
n A federal system that allows for states’ rights, because the states feared too much
centralized control.THE diFFiCulT
RoAd To RATiFiCATioN
The founders knew that ratification of the Constitution was far from certain. Indeed,
because it was almost guaranteed that many state legislatures would not ratify it, the
delegates agreed that each state should hold a special convention. Elected delegates to
these conventions would discuss and vote on the Constitution. Further departing from the
Articles of Confederation, the delegates agreed that as soon as nine states (rather than
all thirteen) approved the Constitution, it would take effect, and Congress could begin to
organize the new government.The Federalists Push for Ratification
The two opposing forces in the battle over ratification were the Federalists and the
Anti-Federalists. The Federalists favored a strong central government and the new
Constitution. Their opponents, the anti-Federalists, wanted to prevent the Constitution
as drafted from being ratified.^11The Federalist Papers. In New York, opponents of the Constitution were quick to
attack it. Alexander Hamilton answered their attacks under a pseudonym in newspaper
columns and secured two collaborators—John Jay and James Madison. In a very short
time, those three political figures wrote a series of eighty-five essays in defense of the
Constitution and of a republican form of government.
These widely read essays, called the Federalist Papers, appeared in New York news-
papers from October 1787 to August 1788 and were reprinted in the newspapers of other
states. Although we do not know for certain who wrote every one, it is apparent that
Hamilton was responsible for about two-thirds of the essays. These included the most
important ones interpreting the Constitution, explaining the various powers of the three
branches, and presenting a theory of judicial review—to be discussed later in this chapter.
Madison’s Federalist Paper No. 10 (see Appendix C), however, is considered a classic in
political theory. It deals with the nature of groups—or factions, as he called them. In spite
of the rapidity with which the Federalist Papers were written, they are considered by many
to be perhaps the best example of political theorizing ever produced in the United States.^12The Anti-Federalist Response. Many of the Anti-Federalists’ attacks on the Constitution
were also brilliant. The Anti-Federalists claimed that the Constitution was written by aristo-
crats and would lead to aristocratic tyranny. More important, the Anti-Federalists believedLO4: Summarize the arguments
in favor of and the arguments
against adopting the Constitution,
and explain why the Bill of Rights
was adopted.
- There is some irony here. At the Constitutional Convention, those opposed to a strong central
government pushed for a federal system because such a system would allow the states to retain
some of their sovereign rights. The label Anti-Federalists thus contradicted their essential views. - Some scholars believe that the Federalist Papers played only a minor role in securing ratification
of the Constitution. Even if this is true, these writings still have lasting value as an authoritative
explanation of the Constitution.
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