Question

What were the major points of disagreement between the federalist and the anti-federalists regarding the U.S. constitution? How was this dispute resolved?

Answer 1

The Constitution required ratification, those who favored it were known as Federalist and those who did not favor ratification were known as Anti- Federalists. Among the major points of disagreement between both parties were that Anti- Federalists attacked the weakest point of the Constitution, the lack of Bill of Rights, they stated that a bill of rights was important to safeguard individual liberty and the states would lose their right of creating they own laws, because they feared the creation of a national government would have power over the states. On the other hand, Federalists argued that a bill of rights was not needed because the powers not given to the federal government remained on people and states’ hands, they stated that the rejection of the Constitution would result in anarchy.  

The dispute was ultimately resolved, it took 10 months for the first nine states to ratify, being Delaware and New Hampshire the first and ninth states to ratify. The creation of the 12 amendments, from which 10 of them would become the bill of rights led to the ratification of North Carolina. Finally, Rhode Island called a ratifying convention where it ratified the constitution by a narrow margin.  

Answer 2

The differences between the Federalists and the Antifederalists are vast and at times complex. Federalists’ beliefs could be better described as nationalist. The Federalists were instrumental in 1787 in shaping the new US Constitution, which strengthened the national government at the expense, according to the Antifederalists, of the states and the people. The Antifederalists opposed the ratification of the US Constitution, but they never organized efficiently across all thirteen states, and so had to fight the ratification at every state convention. Their great success was in forcing the first Congress under the new Constitution to establish a bill of rights to ensure the liberties that the Antifederalists felt the Constitution violated.

The Bill of Rights is a list of 10 constitutional amendments that secure the basic rights and privileges of American citizens. They include the right to free speech, the right to a speedy trial, the right to due process under the law, and protections against cruel and unusual punishments. To accommodate Anti-Federalist concerns of excessive federal power, the Bill of Rights also reserves any power that is not given to the federal government to the states and to the people.

Since its adoption, the Bill of Rights has become the most important part of the Constitution for most Americans. In Supreme Court cases, the Amendments are debated more frequently than the Articles. They have been cited to protect the free speech of Civil Rights activists, protect Americans from unlawful government surveillance, and grant citizens Miranda rights during arrest. It is impossible to know what our republic would look like today without the persistence of the Anti-Federalists over two hundred years ago.