#Virginia race national dominate ad wars series

#Virginia race national dominate ad wars series

These papers were a series of articles published to combat the Federalist campaign. George Clinton was most likely a writer of The Anti-Federalist Papers under the pseudonym Cato. and their most successful argument against the adoption of the Constitution - the lack of a bill of rights to protect individual liberties.concerns that republican government could not work in a land the size of the United States.fears that Congress might seize too many powers under the necessary and proper clause.apprehensions about a federal court system.the disguised monarchic powers of the president.the excessive power of the national government at the expense of the state government.Nonetheless, historians have concluded that the major Anti-Federalist writers included Robert Yates (Brutus), most likely George Clinton (Cato), Samuel Bryan (Centinel), and either Melancton Smith or Richard Henry Lee (Federal Farmer).īy way of these speeches and articles, Anti-Federalists brought to light issues of: The independent writings and speeches have come to be known collectively as The Anti-Federalist Papers, to distinguish them from the series of articles known as The Federalist Papers, written in support of the new constitution by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the pseudonym Publius.Īlthough Patrick Henry, Melancton Smith, and others eventually came out publicly against the ratification of the Constitution, the majority of the Anti-Federalists advocated their position under pseudonyms. To combat the Federalist campaign, the Anti-Federalists published a series of articles and delivered numerous speeches against ratification of the Constitution. In terms of foreign affairs, they were pro-French. When it came to national politics, they favored strong state governments, a weak central government, the direct election of government officials, short term limits for officeholders, accountability by officeholders to popular majorities, and the strengthening of individual liberties. The Anti-Federalists included small farmers and landowners, shopkeepers, and laborers. (Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain, portrait by George Bagby Matthews and Thomas Sully) Anti-Federalists were concerned about excessive power of national government Patrick Henry was an outspoken anti-Federalist. A clash erupted over ratification, with the Anti-Federalists opposing the creation of a strong national government and rejecting ratification and the Federalists advocating a strong union and adoption of the Constitution. The Constitution, drafted at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, needed to be ratified by nine or more state conventions (and by all states that wanted to take part in the new government). Their opposition was an important factor leading to the adoption of the First Amendment and the other nine amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights. Constitution because they feared that the new national government would be too powerful and thus threaten individual liberties, given the absence of a bill of rights. The Anti-Federalists opposed the ratification of the 1787 U.S. (Howard Chandler Christy's interpretation of the signing of the Constitution, painted in 1940.) The anti-Federalists were chiefly concerned with too much power invested in the national government at the expense of states. The anti-Federalists and their opposition to ratifying the Constitution were a powerful force in the origin of the Bill of Rights to protect Amercians' civil liberties.