Debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists Essay

Debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists - Essay Example The formation of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists seemed inevitable from the inception of the Articles of Confederation. Those that favored the ratification of the Articles’ most comprehensive successor, the Constitution, became known as Federalists and consisted mostly of people who lived in cities or engaged in trade, including large landowners. They were supported by merchants, land spectators, and many southern planters who wanted a strong government capable of handling the problems facing the United States both at home and abroad. Opponents of the Constitution were called Anti-Federalists, and consisted of mostly small farmers, especially those that were in debt, who felt that a strong central government was a threat to liberty and too far removed from the people in its representative structure. The Anti-Federalists were also especially opposed to the lack of a bill of rights and the â€Å"necessary and proper† clause that granted Congress the right to carr y out specifically listed powers. Two centuries removed from the debate, though the United States has continued to evolve and devolve at points in its history, the Anti-Federalist concern has been proven correct, specifically in their argument that â€Å"government would be impersonal, unrepresentative, dominated by men of wealth, and oppressive of the poor and working classes† (Bruns, 1986). Questions of state sovereignty led directly to the Civil War, and the issues of class division has created a disparity of wealth and power that continues to grow with each passing year. The population of the United States has also grown apathetic and cynical, accepting the relative ineffectiveness of the federal government as unchangeable. While the populist position of the Anti-Federalists made it the obvious choice for the majority of Americans, the Federalist leadership through such men as Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and