What were the Anti-Federalists opposed to in 1787?
Asked by: Wilhelmine Feest | Last update: February 14, 2026Score: 4.1/5 (39 votes)
In 1787, Anti-Federalists opposed the new U.S. Constitution because they feared it created an overly powerful central government that threatened individual liberties and state sovereignty, lacking a Bill of Rights, potentially leading to tyranny similar to British rule, concentrating power in elites, and undermining the Articles of Confederation. Key objections included fears of an intrusive federal government, an imperial president, an aristocratic Senate, and the absence of explicit protections for citizens' rights.
What were the Anti-Federalists opposed to in 1787?
Antifederalists, including Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, and George Mason, opposed the Constitution of 1787 primarily based on the fear that it would create an overly powerful central government and elite ruling class.
What were the Anti-Federalists opposed to?
The Anti-Federalists's opposition to ratifying the Constitution was a powerful force in the origin of the Bill of Rights to protect Americans' civil liberties. The Anti-Federalists were chiefly concerned with too much power invested in the national government at the expense of states.
What was the main idea of the Anti-Federalists?
In general, the Anti-Federalists believed that the bulk of governing power should reside with the States, as that was the government that was closest to “the people.” The central government, they argued, should be small, not very active, and exist only for very limited purposes, largely collective military defense.
What did Federalists and Anti-Federalists disagree most about?
Meanwhile, the Anti-Federalists included John Hancock, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, George Mason, and Mercy Otis Warren. The main disagreement between Federalists and Anti-Federalists was over how much power the federal government should have.
Constitutional Convention: Federalists v. Anti-Federalists
What is the main difference between Federalists and Anti-Federalists?
The main difference was their view on government power: Federalists supported a strong central government, believing it necessary for unity and strength, while Anti-Federalists feared such a government would become tyrannical and wanted power to remain with the states and the people, advocating for a Bill of Rights to protect individual liberties. Federalists pushed for the Constitution's ratification, while Anti-Federalists resisted it until a Bill of Rights was promised, eventually securing its addition.
What was the main debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists?
The Federalists wanted to ratify the Constitution, the Anti-Federalists did not. One of the major issues these two parties debated concerned the inclusion of the Bill of Rights.
What is Anti-Federalist in simple terms?
The Anti-Federalists were a late-18th-century group in the United States advancing a political movement that opposed the creation of a stronger federal government and which later opposed the ratification of the 1787 Constitution.
What are three beliefs of the Anti-Federalists?
Anti-Federalists believed that the new Constitution was designed such that the new government would have too much power. They imagined that the proposed Congress was too capable of assigning new powers to itself, and they thought the President was too close to a monarch in terms of power.
What was the major accomplishment of the Anti-Federalists?
The most significant and far-reaching accomplishment of the Anti-Federalists is that the Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution) was drafted and passed in large measure to satisfy objections that the Anti-Federalists raised about the proposed constitution.
What are the key arguments of Anti-Federalists?
Anti-Federalists argued that the Constitution gave too much power to the federal government, while taking too much power away from state and local governments. Many felt that the federal government would be too far removed to represent the average citizen.
Which side was better, Anti-Federalist or federalist?
And The Winner Was...
The Federalists, mostly. Their arguments convinced enough states that the new Constitution, though not perfect, was a big improvement over the Articles of Confederation. Plus, the document could be amended, or changed.
What position did the Anti-Federalists support?
Antifederalists, as they came to be called, were the voices warning of tyranny and a new monarchy if too much power was vested in a national body. Though agreeing the Articles needed visions, they preferred the confederation model of vesting most legislative powers within the individual states.
What did Anti-Federalists want?
Many Anti-Federalists preferred a weak central government because they equated a strong government with British tyranny. Others wanted to encourage democracy and feared a strong government that would be dominated by the wealthy. They felt that the states were giving up too much power to the new federal government.
What did the anti-federalist papers argue?
The Anti-Federalists feared that the new Constitution gave the national government too much power. And that this new government—led by a new group of distant, out-of-touch political elites—would: Seize all political power. Swallow up the states—the governments that were closest to the people themselves.
What did Anti-Federalists think about taxes?
The Antifederalists' fundamental and most enduring objection against the Constitution was that it contained no limit on the central govern- ment's ability to raise taxes. The unlimited power of Congress to increase taxes was a constant theme in nearly all of the Antifederalist writings.
What is the main difference between Federalists and Anti-Federalists?
The main difference was their view on government power: Federalists supported a strong central government, believing it necessary for unity and strength, while Anti-Federalists feared such a government would become tyrannical and wanted power to remain with the states and the people, advocating for a Bill of Rights to protect individual liberties. Federalists pushed for the Constitution's ratification, while Anti-Federalists resisted it until a Bill of Rights was promised, eventually securing its addition.
What belief was commonly shared by the Anti-Federalists?
This in particular struck fright into the hearts of the Antifederalists. These states rights advocates were particularly afraid of the potential for government failure. Antifederalists had a strong belief that a centralized republican country couldn't possibly rule a country the size of America.
How did Anti-Federalists view individual rights?
These “Anti-Federalists” were skeptical that individual liberty could survive centralized power and pushed back. The debate grew so fierce that the Constitution's ratification nearly collapsed over one issue: the absence of a Bill of Rights.
What is another word for Anti-Federalist?
The Antifederalists would have preferred to be known as democratic republicans or federal republicans, but they acquired the name antifederal, or Anti-federal, or Antifederal as a result of the particular events of American history.
What political party did the Anti-Federalists become?
Republican Party Christened by James Madison
Although the Jeffersonian-Republican Party drew strength from the Anti-Federalists, no one had more claim to the authorship of the federal Constitution than did Madison, one of the founders of the Jeffersonian-Republican Party.
Why did Anti-Federalists favor a bill of rights?
Anti-Federalists wanted power to remain with state and local governments and favored a bill of rights to safeguard individual liberty.
Was Benjamin Franklin a federalist or anti federalist?
Benjamin Franklin, while aligned with the Federalists, was wary of a central government with too much power. He favored a committee to lead the executive branch but accepted having a single president instead. Alexander Hamilton was a leading voice among the Federalists.
Why is anti-federalist better?
Antifederalist political science advocated concentration of the power of the people and eliminating temptations for the concentration of power in officeholders. The heart of their method was to propose a scheme of representation that safeguarded interests and avoid the clashes of factions.
Who were the famous Anti-Federalists?
The Anti-Federalists opposed the new Constitution. The Anti-Federalist camp included its own list of Founding-era heavyweights—including Virginia's George Mason, Patrick Henry, and Richard Henry Lee; Massachusetts's Samuel Adams, Elbridge Gerry, and Mercy Otis Warren; and New York's powerful Governor George Clinton.