Anti-federalists
Definition
Anti-Federalists were those opposed to ratifying (approving) the new U.S. Constitution in 1787-88 because they feared it gave too much power to a central government at the expense of states' rights.
Related terms
Bill of Rights: The Anti-Federalists were instrumental in getting this added to the U.S. Constitution to protect individual liberties against potential government overreach.
Patrick Henry: A leading Anti-Federalist who famously declared "Give me liberty or give me death!"
Articles of Confederation: The document favored by many Anti-Federalists that served as America's first constitution; it gave more power to states than did our current Constitution.
"Anti-federalists" appears in:
Subjects (1)
Study guides (1)
Practice Questions (5)
- To convince anti-federalists to ratify the constitution, which would emerge after the American Revolution?
- What did the Anti-Federalists believe?
- How did the Federalists and Anti-Federalists disagree concerning the role of a centralized government?
- What was a major concern of Anti-Federalists regarding the United States Constitution?
- What distinguishes Federalists’ interpretation of Constitution versus Anti-Federalists’?
