Anti-Federalists
E14608
The Anti-Federalists were a diverse group of late-18th-century American politicians and thinkers who opposed ratification of the U.S. Constitution, fearing centralized power and strongly advocating for states’ rights and a bill of rights.
Aliases (4)
Statements (59)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
historical group
→
political faction → political movement → |
| activeInPeriod | late 18th century → |
| arguedThat |
a standing army in peacetime was dangerous to liberty
→
large republics are prone to faction and instability → republican government works best in small territories → the federal judiciary could overshadow state courts → the necessary and proper clause could expand federal power excessively → the presidency could evolve into a monarchy-like office → the proposed Constitution lacked explicit protections for individual rights → the supremacy clause threatened state sovereignty → |
| concernedWith |
danger of consolidated power
→
potential tyranny of a strong central government → protection of individual liberties → |
| country | United States of America → |
| geographicStronghold |
Massachusetts
→
New York → North Carolina → Rhode Island → Virginia → |
| hadAlias |
Brutus (pseudonymous Anti-Federalist writer)
→
Cato (pseudonymous Anti-Federalist writer) → Federal Farmer (pseudonymous Anti-Federalist writer) → |
| hadKeyIssue |
control over the militia
→
demand for a bill of rights as a condition for ratification → fear of distant, unaccountable government → length and nature of Senate terms → representation ratio in the House of Representatives → scope of federal taxing power → |
| influenced | adoption of the United States Bill of Rights → |
| legacy |
contributed to the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution
→
influenced later states' rights arguments in U.S. politics → shaped American skepticism of centralized authority → |
| notableMember |
Elbridge Gerry
→
George Clinton → George Mason → James Monroe → Luther Martin → Melancton Smith → Mercy Otis Warren → Patrick Henry → Richard Henry Lee → Robert Yates → Samuel Adams → William Grayson → |
| opposed |
ratification of the United States Constitution
→
strong centralized federal government → |
| opposedBy | Federalists → |
| participatedIn | state ratifying conventions → |
| politicalPosition |
anti-federalism
→
states' rights advocacy → |
| produced | Anti-Federalist Papers → |
| supported |
a bill of rights
→
states' rights → |
| timeframe | circa 1787–1791 → |
| usedMedium |
newspaper essays
→
pamphlets → public speeches → |
Referenced by (18)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form: "Anti-Federalist"
this entity surface form: "Anti-Federalist"
this entity surface form: "Anti-Federalism"
subject surface form: "Federal Farmer"
this entity surface form: "Anti-Federalism"
this entity surface form: "American Anti-Federalism"
this entity surface form: "Anti-Federalist movement"
this entity surface form: "Anti-Federalist"
this entity surface form: "Anti-Federalist"
this entity surface form: "Anti-Federalist"
this entity surface form: "Anti-Federalist"
this entity surface form: "Anti-Federalist"
this entity surface form: "Anti-Federalist"
this entity surface form: "Anti-Federalist"
this entity surface form: "Anti-Federalist"
this entity surface form: "Anti-Federalist"
this entity surface form: "Anti-Federalist movement"