The new Constitution was sent to the states, and each state was to call a convention. There, delegates would vote to ratify or not ratify. Then the real debate began.
Those who supported the Constitution were called Federalists. (Federal refers to a central government.) They thought the country would do better with a stronger central government.
Those who were opposed to this idea were called Anti-Federalists. There were many reasons why people were against the Constitution. Some thought a central government wouldn’t care about local issues. Some said it would overwhelm the states and take away the people’s rights. Some feared the government would be taken over by “the few and the great.” Some said the president would have too much power. Some said the slavery clauses were immoral. The strongest argument against the document was that it did not state the rights of the people.
