By 1788, it was clear that the federalists had won the debate over ratification when the Constitution was scheduled to go into effect. How did the federalists win over an American body politic that was, two years earlier, skeptical at best about changing the Articles of Confederation? Though they clearly lost, what effects did the anti-federalists achieve for the political culture of subsequent generations?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The federalists won over the elected representatives of the American people via a number of means. First, they won to their side a number of celebrities, such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, to endorse their argument. Second, they met their opponents’ arguments head-on rather than dodging them. For example, James Madison co-opted the anti-federalist argument about the size of the national government being to unwieldy to govern effectively. Madison, in Federalist No. 10, countered than an extended republic would help limit factions and the large size of the American state was thus a benefit to its political stability. Third and perhaps most importantly, federalists controlled the debate. Though a skillful use of the press and the rapid adoption of the ironic name Federalists, men like Madison and Alexander Hamilton took the initiative from their opponents and forced the anti-federalists to defend the unpopular Articles of Confederation.
Nonetheless, the anti-federalists achieved one notable success. They forced the federalists to accept a Bill of Rights, specifically limiting the federal government’s power and delegating certain rights to the states and to the people.