The Federalists vs. the Anti-Federalists

Extract

[...] Madison states that “extend the sphere and you make it less probable that a majority of the whole will have a common motive to invade the rights of other citizens” (A25). In other words, it is a system where no one group can become too powerful. Some commentators on American political thought argue that the American political tradition is an interplay between the Federalists and the Anti- Federalists. On a national level, the government functions in a Federalist way, since we elect the president through representatives rather than directly. On a local level, however, the [...]

[...] The Federalists vs. the Anti-Federalists When the United States Constitution was first being written there was a critical division between two groups called the Federalists and the Anti- Federalists. The Federalists opposed the Constitution and believed in a loose construction of government. The Anti- Federalists, on the other hand, believed in a stricter construction of government. The Federalists and Anti- Federalists brought up many very important points when revising the original Articles of Confederation. Two of the best examples of Federalist and Anti-Federalist perspectives concerning the creation of the Constitution include Brutus I by Robert Yates and Federalist 10 by James Madison. [...]