Anti-federalist Argument
“A republican or free government can only exist where the body of the people are virtuous and where property is pretty equally divided; in such a government the people are the sovereign and their sense or opinion is the criterion of every public measure. When this ceases to be the case, the nature of the government is changed, and an aristocracy, monarchy, or despotism will rise on its ruin.” -Centinel Letter I (October 5 1787)
Federalist Papers Argument
“The passions, therefore, not the reason, of the public would sit in judgement. But it is the reason, alone, of the public, that ought to control and regulate the government. The passions ought to be controlled and regulated by the government.” -Federalist 49
Describe one historical development or event that may have contributed to the anti-federalist argument.
One historical development or event that may have contributed to the anti-federalist argument is the American Revolution. The American Revolution was fought in large part to overthrow what the colonists saw as a tyrannical and oppressive British monarchy. The revolutionaries believed that power should rest with the people, and they fought to establish a government that would protect their individual liberties and ensure their participation in decision-making. The experience of fighting for freedom and self-determination likely shaped the anti-federalist belief in the importance of a republican government where the people are sovereign. They may have seen the proposed Constitution, with its strong central government and potential for the rise of an aristocracy or monarchy, as a potential threat to the hard-won freedoms of the American Revolution. They argued that if power was concentrated in the hands of a few, the people's voice and ability to determine public measures would be diminished, leading to the establishment of an oppressive regime.
One historical development that may have contributed to the anti-federalist argument is the American Revolution. The anti-federalists believed that the power of the people was central to a republican government, and they argued that a strong central government, like the one proposed by the Federalists, could potentially infringe upon the rights and liberties of the citizens. The experience of the American Revolution, where the colonists fought against perceived oppression and tyranny, likely influenced the anti-federalists' skepticism towards the concentration of power in a centralized government. They feared that a strong federal government could eventually become tyrannical, similar to the monarchy they had just overthrown. This historical context reinforced the anti-federalist concern about the potential for an erosion of individual liberties and the rise of autocratic rule.
One historical development or event that may have contributed to the anti-federalist argument is the colonial experience of the American Revolution. During this time, the American colonies fought against British rule in order to establish their independence and create a new democratic system of governance.
The revolutionaries believed in the ideals of republicanism, which emphasized the importance of citizen participation in the government. They were inspired by the idea that the power to govern should reside with the people, rather than with a monarch or an elite ruling class. The American Revolution fostered a strong sense of individual rights and equality among the colonists.
However, after gaining independence, the Founding Fathers faced the challenge of creating a new government that would replace the weak central authority under the Articles of Confederation. This led to the drafting of the United States Constitution in 1787, which aimed to establish a stronger federal government.
The anti-federalists, who were skeptical of creating a powerful central authority, argued that the newly proposed Constitution did not adequately protect the rights of individual citizens and maintained that the Constitution favored the wealthy and privileged few. They feared that this concentration of power would lead to a loss of liberty and the rise of an elite ruling class, which they believed would undermine the principles of republicanism they had fought for during the Revolution.
The anti-federalists' concerns were rooted in their experiences of British rule and their desire to prevent a similar oppressive system from emerging in the newly formed United States. This historical context influenced their argument that a republican government can only be sustained if the people are virtuous and property is equally distributed, as they believed that unequal distribution of wealth and corrupting influences could lead to the erosion of popular power and the rise of aristocracy, monarchy, or despotism.
Therefore, the anti-federalist argument was partly shaped by the historical experience of the American Revolution and the desire to protect the principles of republicanism and individual rights that were central to the colonial struggle for independence.