The people who opposed the new Constitution of the United States were called Anti-Federalists. They believed that the new government under the Constitution did not emphasize liberty and would mean that the citizen's rights would be restricted. Many were concerned because there was no "Bill of Rights" included in the new Constitution. Some sort of "restriction" on the power of the national government was necessary. Many Anti-Federalists felt that protecting liberties could only succeed in a small republic in which the rulers were close to the people. Only a "confederation" of states could adequately protect citizen's liberties. The new government under the Constitution would take over the job of the states, would over tax the people, and the federal courts would overrule the state courts. Many also feared that the president would command a large standing army which could use force to uphold the laws of the national government at the expense of the state governments.
