The Federalists wanted a strong government and strong executive branch, while the anti-Federalists wanted a weaker central government. The Federalists did not want a bill of rights —they thought the new constitution was sufficient. The anti-federalists demanded a bill of rights.

The Anti-Federalists opposed the ratification of the 1787 U.S. Constitution because they feared that the new national government would be too powerful and thus threaten individual liberties, given the absence of a bill of rights.

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. Therefore, only a confederacy of the individual states could protect the nation’s liberty and freedom.

Anti-Federalists argued that the Constitution gave too much power to the federal government, while taking too much power away from state and local governments. Many felt that the federal government would be too far removed to represent the average citizen.

When challenged over the lack of individual liberties, the Federalists argued that the Constitution did not include a bill of rights because the new Constitution did not vest in the new government the authority to suppress individual liberties.

Anti-Federalism was a late-18th century movement that opposed the creation of a stronger U.S. federal government and which later opposed the ratification of the 1787 Constitution. The previous constitution, called the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, gave state governments more authority.

Before Drafting the Bill of Rights, James Madison Argued the Constitution Was Fine Without It. The founding father worried that trying to spell out all of Americans’ rights in the series of amendments could be inherently limiting. But Madison argued it was unnecessary and perhaps even harmful.

Hamilton’s core argument against a bill of rights was that the federal government would only be able to act where its power had been clearly enumerated in the Constitution. Therefore, it would provide no added protection for Americans but would provide a pretext for unwarranted expansions of federal power.

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.