Federalists Vs. Anti-Federalists

The basic point of distinction in the federalists vs. anti-federalists comparison revolves around the definition of the two concepts. While 'federalism' refers to a system in which the administrative power is shared between the national and state governments, 'anti-federalism' refers to a system which believes that the national government should not be more powerful than the state government. Simply put, the anti-federalists are of the opinion that the national government can either be equal to or less powerful than the state governments, but it should never be superior than the latter. When comparing federalists and anti-federalists head to head, the moment of American history - when the two sides locked horns over the ratification of the US Constitution comes up as the best example.

Federalists Vs. Anti-Federalists in America

In reference to the US politics, federalists are those people who support the present relationship between federal government and the governments of 50 US states. As the term suggests, anti-federalists are those who oppose the political structure proposed by the federalists. In a broad sense, the term anti-federalists also refer to those people that opposed the creation of a stronger federal government and ratification of the US Constitution in 1787. The federalists vs. anti-federalists tussle in America can be traced back to the 18th century - when the committee which met to revise the Articles of Confederation came to a conclusion that the revision of the Articles was not at all feasible and the entire constitution had to be rewritten. This recommendation met severe opposition by anti-federalist leaders who were of the opinion that the Articles of Confederation was the best bet.

Coming back to the present, a federalist in the United States of America is an ardent advocate of federalism as opposed to an anti-federalist who is against this concept - but instead believes that the state government should be the supreme authority. The anti-federalist belief that the state governments should have more power as compared to the national government was something that the Articles of Confederation also spoke of, and this was the reason why the anti-federalists supported the Articles in the Articles of Confederation vs. Constitution row. Contrary to this are the federalist beliefs which highlight the need of having a national government more powerful than the state governments - in order to ensure that the states are kept in control. The adoption of new constitution - the end of the American Civil War as some sources put it, marked the beginning of power shift from the state governments to the national government and emergence of federalism in the United States.

Federalists Vs. Anti-Federalists: A Comparison

The federalists and anti-federalists found each other at loggerheads over the ratification of the US Constitution of 1787. One of the most prominent issues at this point of time was the inclusion of Bill of Rights in the new Constitution - something which was strongly supported by anti-federalists and opposed by the federalists. It was this support for the Bill of Rights which gave the anti-federalists the much-needed momentum in their campaign. The anti-federalist leaders also argued that the new constitution was against the democratic goals of the American Revolution. Going through the federalists vs. anti-federalists chart given below will help you get a better understanding of the differences of opinion between the two groups.

Issue	Federalists	Anti-Federalists
Belief	The national government (federal government in case of the United States) should be the supreme authority which can keep the states in control.	The state governments should be the supreme authority, with the national government acting as a link between the states.
Section	Mostly comprising businessmen who took part in American Revolutionary War. Federalists Leaders: George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, etc.	Mostly comprising labor class from the rural areas of the country. Anti-Federalists Leaders: Patrick Henry, George Mason, Samuel Adams, Robert Yates etc.
Constitution	In favor of the new United States Constitution which was adopted on 17th September, 1787.	In favor or Articles of Confederation and strongly against the new Constitution which gave more power to the national government.
Bill of Rights	Argued that the Constitution and state governments were enough to protect individual freedoms of the citizens of the country, and therefore there was no need of the Bill of Rights.	Argued that the Bill of Rights was necessary without which the Constitution would have the power to overwrite the Rights of citizens followed by the states.
Separation of Powers	Distribution of power in three independent branches ensured efficient administration with due respect to people's rights.	The different branches of administration, especially the executive branch, was given too much power

These were some points of distinction in the federalists vs. anti-federalists debate which put them at loggerheads against each other. However, we cannot ignore the fact that we got the US Constitution - which is considered to be the supreme law of the land today, in its present form only because of the tussle between the two. Absence of federalists or anti-federalists would have made a great deal of difference in the supreme law of the land. Even today, there exists some people who believe that it would have been better if the Articles of Confederation was altered in a manner which would suit the confederation and there also exist people who believe that the adoption of the new Constitution was good - but it would have been better if more efforts would have been put to protect the rights of citizens and states.