Difference between Federalist & Anti Federalists

The Federalists and Anti-Federalists had a number of political points over which they disputed . One the one hand , while the Federalists were in favor of a strong central government for the United States , the anti-Federalists favored stronger state governance with a weaker Federal government . The Federalists favored a government run by those who controlled the society 's wealth , in contrast with Anti-Federalists who that the general populace be in the position of rule . Since the Anti-Federalists favored dissemination of power among states and the people in general and the Federalist a more

concentrated and centralized government , the major area of contention for the Constitution 's ratification came over the question of a bill of rights

Chief among the Federalists was Alexander Hamilton , and the goal of the cause he and his colleagues supported was to strengthen the government for the formation of policies that would push the economy forward . The arguments of the Federalists in favor of a strong central government included the support of a national bank and of a constitution that gave strong power to the executive branch of the government . However , the Anti-Federalists argued against such strictly republican policies , as the country was seen to be too large and the wealth of its citizens too varied for such a government to be effective . Furthermore , the Anti-Federalists argued that with a strong central government , the governing state bodies would become obsolete and disintegrate - leaving the country completely in the hands of an impersonal Federal government .Such Anti-Federalists as George Mason , Mercy Otis Warren , Richard Henry Lee , and orator Patrick Henry were led by James Madison in their bid against the Federalists . Their values rested on the belief that the government should not only be controlled by the citizens , but should contain a built in agreement of the human qualities that should not be violated by any person or institution acting on behalf of the government . Despite the fact that Anti-Federalists were also in favor of economic growth that might have been provided by the strong central government , this group feared that such a government would threaten the rights of the individual . It was their position that any proper government required the involvement of the citizens at the most basic levels , and such involved could be facilitated only by strong state governments . The decisions made that affected the people most immediately should be those made by state (rather than the Federal government . In their opinion , a central government would operate too far away from people and would therefore fall out of touch with their needs The Anti-Federalists therefore supported the idea of drafting a document in which the rights of United States citizens would be clearly delineated and made an integral part of the constitution

In contrast , the Federalists were against granting constitutionally protected rights to the ordinary citizens , as they argued that countries had in the past been destroyed because of insurgent groups that considered themselves as possessing rights . The Federalists went on to argue that...