Question

The federalists and anti-federalist argued primarily over which issue

Answer 1

The strength of the national government in the newly formed United States

Answer 2

Federalists and anti-Federalists argued primarily about the role of government. Is it meant to function on a small scale with not much intervention in the private citizen’s life? Or is government meant to operate bureaucratically on a large scale and regulate multiple areas of a citizen’s life, such as health insurance and taxes? This debate emerged in the time of the revolution to figure out how this new country should run exactly. It eventually led to a system of government that, at the highest level, has the federal government overseeing tasks such as minting money and declaring war, and a smaller-scale state government which functions in matters relating to the state and local governments within the state e.g. towns and city councils (these matters include state laws, budget, and tax legislation).