Federalists wanted a strong central government. They believed that a strong central government was necessary if the states were going to band together to form a nation. A strong central government could represent the nation to other countries.

Federalists vs. Republican

The Anti-Federalists argued against the expansion of national power. They favored small localized governments with limited national authority as was exercised under the Articles of Confederation.

Although the primary purpose of The Federalist was to convince New Yorkers to send to the Constitutional Convention delegates who would vote to ratify the Constitution, fully two-thirds of New York’s delegates initially opposed ratification.

Federalists argued that the Constitution did not need a bill of rights, because the people and the states kept any powers not given to the federal government. Anti-Federalists held that a bill of rights was necessary to safeguard individual liberty.

Federalists argued for counterbalancing branches of government. In light of charges that the Constitution created a strong national government, they were able to argue that the separation of powers among the three branches of government protected the rights of the people.

The Anti-Federalists were a group of politicians in early U.S. history. They had concerns about the new constitution that was adopted in 1787. They believed it gave too much power to the central, or federal, government. Anti-Federalists feared the authority of a single national government.

These people were called Anti-Federalists. They included primarily farmers and tradesmen and were less likely to be a part of the wealthy elite than were members of their opposition, who called themselves Federalists. The Anti-Federalists believed that each state should have a sovereign, independent government.

The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, the election of Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson in 1800, and the death of Alexander Hamilton in 1804 led to the decline and collapse of the Federalist Party.

The federalists lost power during Jefferson’s administration because the federalists didn’t want to appeal to the common people for support. Jefferson and Madison responded to impressment by imposing the 1807 Embargo Act, which banned exporting products to other countries.