Main Ideas
Federalists and Antifederalists engaged in a debate over the new constitution
The Federalists Papers played an important role in the fight for ratification of the Constitution
Ten amendments were added to the Constitution to provide a Bill of Rights to protect citizens
Federalists
-Supported the Constitution
-Desired strong central government
-Liked the balance of powers in the constitution
-Made speeches and pamphlets advocating change in government
-Example:ALEXANDER HAMILTON
Anti-Federalist
-Opposed to the new Constitution
-Feared central government would be too powerful
-Concerned about the lack of guarantee of individual rights
-George Mason became Antifederalists over rights issue
-Example:George Mason
The Federalist Papers
-Federalist Papers, a series of essays supporting the constitution
-Written anonymously by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison
-Federalist papers argued that the new federal government would not overpower states
-Widely reprinted in any way like newspapers, pamphlets, and other things
Battle for Ratification
-Each state needed to ratify the constitution
-All states except Rhode Island held ratification conventions to discuss about the constitution
Ratifying the Constitution
-Upon ratification by the states on December 1791, the Bill of Rights became the first ten amendments to the constitution
