Analytical essay on debate and conflict between federalists and anti

Analytical on debate and conflict between federalists and anti federalists - Essay Example Those opposed to the constitution, the Anti-Federalists which included John Hancock, Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams, also wrote a series of arguments now known as the Anti-Federalist papers. They feared the potential powers of centralized federal government dominating the will of the states. The Federalists gave assurances that this was not their intention; that they were not trying to create a tyrannical governing system much like the one in Britain which the colonies had just fought a war to escape. This is how the Bill of Rights was formed. It was a compromise forged between the two conflicting viewpoints. The terms describing these differing opinions is somewhat misleading. Federalists are better defined as Nationalists because they supported a powerful federal government. The Anti-Federalists could be more accurately described as federalists because they preferred the government be a federation of autonomous states. This discussion examines the perspective of both Federalists an d Anti-Federalists, how they reached a compromise after two years of heated debate and the reasons why one was ultimately the better choice. The Federalist Papers conveyed the shortcomings of the loosely confederated union between the states that existed at the time and the benefits of unifying the states into an effective central government. The Federalists, being wealthy land and business owners, believed that a strong centralized federal government operated by learned, influential persons would encourage commerce which was to their own and the country’s benefit. In the second of the Federalist Papers, John Jay enumerated this motive first over all other reasons to unite the states by enacting a constitution. â€Å"It has until lately been a received and uncontradicted opinion that the prosperity of the people of America depended on their continuing firmly united, and the wishes, prayers, and efforts of our best and wisest citizens have been constantly