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Federalists and Anti-Federalists The Federalists were the supporters of a strong national government who wanted to ratify the Constitution without the addition of a Bill of Rights. Their arguments were put forward in a series of articles written in 1787-8 by James Madison (who later changed some of his views and drafted the Bill of Rights), Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. Anti-Federalists feared a strong national government that did not explicitly protect the rights of the people. In the 1790s Anti-Federalists became part of Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party. Read more:
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