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Patrick Henry was anti-federalist because he feared that a too powerful and centralized federal government could develop into a monarchy. Anti-federlism was founded in 1787 and he was the leader -
Those who supported the Constitution and a stronger national republic were known as Federalists. -
Their interest in protecting liberty led to the inclusion of the Bill of Rights in the ratified form of the Constitution and the ratification of the new Constitution left Americans unsurprisingly uncertain about the nation's new path.
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The Federalists certainly developed a new political philosophy, but they felt that the defense of the social interests of the revolution was the most important role.
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In early August 1787, a subcommittee of the Constitutional Conference had just submitted a preliminary draft of the Constitution to the rest of the delegates, and federalists and anti-federalists began to analyze the biggest rudimentary debate about what the US government should do. -
Anti-federalists oppose retification and believe power should be concentrated with the states rather than the federal goverment. They worry that a stronger ferderal goverment will be prone to tyranny and the new constitution did not include adequate protections for the right of individuals and states. -
The Anti-Federalists mobilized against the Constitution in state legislatures across the country. Anti-Federalists in Massachusetts, Virginia and New York, three crucial states, made ratification of the Constitution contingent on a Bill of Rights. -
Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison wrote a series of 85 essays that appeared in various New York newspapers attributed to the pseudonym “Publius.” The Federalist papers (formally The Federalist), as the combined essays are called, were written to combat Anti-Federalism and to persuade the public of the necessity of the Constitution.The essays were immediately recognized as the most powerful defense of the new Constitution.
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The Federalist Party was the first political party in the United States. Under Alexander Hamilton, it dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801. It became a minority party while keeping its stronghold in New England and made a brief resurgence by opposing the War of 1812.
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The United States Bill of Rights comprises the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. Proposed following the often bitter 1787–88 debate over the ratification of the Constitution and written to address the objections raised by Anti-Federalists
