Compare And Contrast Federalist And Anti-Federalists

Political parties have grown through the years, but how does one measure the success of them. George Washington had advised the nation to try and avoid them due to the possibility that it would divide everyone. Revolutionary War had just ended, and unity was still fragile and delicate. Even so, there were two parties that dominated the nation, Federalists and anti-Federalists. In many ways, the Federalists were successful because many of their party ideas about a strong central government is included in the Constitution. They were able to do this through wealth, influence and many influential figures, and the successful ratification of the Constitution. Even though they accomplished many things for the nation, the party would soon die out after …show more content…
A majority of Federalists were influential, wealthy citizens of nobility; jobs that included law or plantation owners. Meanwhile the anti-Federalists were mostly poor, backcountry farmers. Many Federalists were able to get their opinions heard through newspaper or voting. For one thing, many could vote. Back then only white, landowning men could vote or hold office. Thus many of their decisions would be based off of how the choice could benefit themselves or the economy. Thomas Jefferson even believes that property owners were the backbone of the country even though he, himself, was an anti-Federalist. Another advantage wealth got was influence. Many were able to print out their opinions on newspapers or spread their ideas in businesses that they owned. Meanwhile, anti-Federalists such as Daniel Shays would have to draw up a mob and revolt in order to get their opinions heard. However Shays’ Rebellion did lead to the ratification of the Constitution; a success for the anti-Federalists. The great influence of Federalists in many states allowed their success to …show more content…
Many of the Federalist party included influential political figures such as Alex Hamilton. As mentioned earlier, their ideas were able to be heard through their wealth. One popular piece of work included the Federalist Papers. It was written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay. In this, they spread the ideas of Federalists that influenced many. The anti-Federalists included Thomas Jefferson, didn’t have as much influence due to the fact they were poor and overshadowed by the dominance of the Federalists. Federalists were also educated in many fields that excelled them. For example, John Adams was a renowned lawyer who was able to prove the innocence of the British soldiers who fired in the Boston Massacre. Thus they were able to use their words to compel others to follow in the party’s ideas. Anti-Federalists were for the most part, not as properly educated weren’t able to spread their ideas as easily. Even so, one known anti-Federalist was Thomas Jefferson, who advocated for a limited government. Finally, many Federalists were able to get programs across in the political world. For example, Alexander Hamilton was able to establish national debt and the Bank of the United States. This proved to be unpopular among other states who didn’t want to pay off debt that wasn’t even their own, but George Washington agreed to allow this program. Influence would also play an affect in the creation of the Constitution in