Constitutional Compromise

Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course: Date: The Federalists, Anti-Federalists, and Constitutional Compromise The formation of the American constitution began with the first major debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists on the power of the national government. The debate was critical in the creation of a Constitution that has survived for 200 years and ensured the protection of individual rights and a stable federal-state government. Both sides of the argument were concerned about the possibility of tyranny and they demonstrated their fears in relation to experiences from the colonial government (Abernathy 54). While the Federalists wanted a strong national government to prevent the tyranny of the majority, the Anti-Federalists proposed strong state governments to protect the people from the minority. The debate on the Articles of the Confederation laid grounds for the creation of a Constitution that ensured compromise for the concerns of the groups. The Articles of the Constitution show how the key issues in the Articles of the Confederation played a role in developing the current federal state government in the United States. MY THESIS is that the debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists was critical in developing Constitutional compromise that has shaped the creation of a stable federal-state government structure capable of meeting the changing needs of the American society. A new constitution was needed to deal with the concerns of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists not addressed by the Articles of Confederation. While these articles laid the foundation for the current constitution, they left significant gaps in the governance of the United States. The constitution addresses the needs of the Federalists by establishing a national government that is strong enough to ensure its own survival. The Federalists were concerned that weak federal government would not survive the opposition of a faction such as a group of individual