Question

During the debate over the Constitution, which issue divided the Framers into two parties

Answer 1

The power of the central government

Answer 2

The issue that divided the Framers of the Constitution into two parties was the scope that the central government should have.

The writers of the Constitution strongly disagreed on ideology, and this led to the formation of two marked parties: The Federalist and the Anti-Federalists (The Democratic-Republican party). On one hand, the Federalist party, which was mainly supported by bankers, businessmen and merchants, deemed necessary a strong national government and a national bank to lead the nation.

On the other hand, the Anti-Federalists, mainly consisting of planters, small farmers, and artisans, promoted a weak central government and leaned to give more power to the states and local governments instead. They also opposed the creation of a national bank.