Comparison and Contrast between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists' Visions - Essay Sample

Introduction

The American Revolutionary War resulted in the development of the American government from scratch. As a result, the Article of Confederation was created in 1781 based on the English Constitution (Richardson 2015). The English Constitution served as a foundation for the first American law because it was familiar to the founding fathers. However, from this new construction, the founding fathers disagreed as some felt that the new law placed too much power in specific individual states without developing an effective central government. The opposing founders desired a republican form of government that provided voters with the opportunity to elect officials representing them. As such, the Founding Fathers were divided into the Federalists and the Anti-federalists. Like every debate, both sides had concerns and fears that they were willing to discuss to achieve a unified vision for the young United States. These concerns included the possession of power by the president and Congress and whether the unified government for all states would be stronger or weaker in protecting the rights and liberties of the people.

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Comparison and Contrast between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists’ Visions

The Federalists can be identified as the founding fathers who campaigned for a stronger central government and the modification of the Constitution to help effectively manage the tensions and debts that resulted after the American Revolutionary War. Additionally, this group desired a stronger centralized regime that would effectively bring together the states as one population. A majority of the Federalists were wealthy and educated men who had drawn the Declaration of Independence, such as George Washington (JRankLaw, 2020). In contrast, the Anti-Federalists supposed that each country should contain the authority to govern themselves. The Anti-Federalists opposed the creation of a central government and thought that power should be in the hands of local governments and states. Additionally, the Anti-federalists did not support the sanction of the Constitution in 1781 as they thought that the Constitution awarded the head and the legislature too much power.

The Federalists desired a federal government united under a constitution that would be strong enough to govern all the states (JRankLaw, 2020). The centralized government was viewed as the best alternative for the United States when defending itself against foreign powers. Additionally, the Federalists viewed the central government as a secured means of developing a national bank, a strong army, and a navy that would fiercely defend the United States against its enemies. Moreover, some of the radicalized federalists believed that The United States did not require state governments and, at the same time, provided future leaders with the opportunity to interpret the Constitution (JRankLaw, 2020).

This opinion was in contrast with the Anti-federalists, who believed that the local states were capable of making decisions and defending themselves from foreign attacks. Furthermore, they thought that the Constitution was a deviation from the ideals of the American Revolution as it was a potential source of tyranny that would ignore the will of the Americans. As such, the Anti-federalists viewed the Constitution as a way of making the United States government weaker instead of empowering the local governments, which had young militias. This opposition resulted in the proposition of the Bill of Rights as the only condition for the Anti-Federalists to accept the Constitution.

The Bill of Rights further caused disagreements between the Federalists and the Anti-federalists as the Federalists viewed the Bill of Rights as unnecessary (Richardson 2015). Furthermore, they viewed the Bill of Rights as dangerous as the Constitution itself was considered a bill of rights. Moreover, they argued that if some rights were written down, individuals may assume that the lack of specific rights in writing would mean that it was not protected (McDermott, 2019). Nevertheless, the Anti-federalists argued that the inclusion of the Bill of Rights would be in favor of preserving the liberties and rights of ordinary Americans. Eventually, the Anti-federalists won the argument, and this victory resulted in the inclusion of the first ten amendments to the Constitution identified as the Bill of Rights in 1791 (McDermott, 2019). The Bill of Rights sought to soften the opposition of the Anti-federalists towards the Constitution and, at the same time, facilitated greater legitimacy among the individuals who did not support the notion of centralized government under the Constitution created by the founding fathers.

Conclusion

After the American Revolutionary War, the Founding Fathers developed a different and contrasting vision for the young United States. This difference in views and ideas resulted in a division between them and the creation of the Anti-federalists and the Federalists. Both groups accepted their visions and perceptions correctly when deciding the future of the United States. Nevertheless, despite their differences, both groups were willing to discuss their differences and develop compromises necessary to sanction the Constitution, which would be used by all countries within the United States. Additionally, the concessions include the development of the Bill of Rights, which is essential in protecting the rights and liberties of Americans today. Moreover, the Bill of Rights articulates specific protections that the Anti-Federalists feared were not included in the Constitution, which, in their opinion, granted too much power to the president and the Congress.

References

JRankLaw. (2020). Constitution of the United States. Law Library - American Law and Legal Information - JRank Articles. https://law.jrank.org/pages/5603/Constitution-United-States-FEDERALISTS-VERSUS-ANTI-FEDERALISTS.html

McDermott, J. (2019, August 28). The federalists vs. the anti-federalists. National Constitution Center. https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/podcast/the-federalists-vs-the-anti-federalists

Richardson, R. (2015). Comparing / Contrasting AOC & Constitution, Federalist & Anti-Federalist. Nebula WSIMG. http://nebula.wsimg.com/34005c904762fae57164157c88504b11?AccessKeyId=E9AACE2A0AB5B10EA5F6&disposition=0&alloworigin=1