Who were the Federalists and Anti-federalists?

When the new Constitution was finished, it was submitted to the states. The Congress had decided that nine of the thirteen states must ratify (formally approve) it in order to make it the law of the land. Some states ratified the Constitution quickly, while others debated it for months. Supporters of ratification called themselves Federalists. Opponents, most of whom thought the Constitution created a too powerful form of government, called themselves Anti-federalists. Federalists were most numerous in New England and near coastal cities and other areas in which commerce was strong. Anti-federalists were strongest in the South and in rural areas. By June 1788, nine states had ratified the Constitution.

The debate over ratification was most intense in New York, a state with roughly equal numbers of Federalists and Anti-federalists. New York (along with Massachusetts and Virginia) was a crucial state because it had a large population, including a large number of merchants and other wealthy citizens. Without New York's support, the Constitution would not succeed, even if all of the remaining twelve states ratified it.

Federalists worked hard to persuade New York's voters to support ratification. In a series of eighty-five essays, published in the state's newspapers, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton (pictured above), and John Jay sought to persuade New York residents to support ratification of the Constitution. These essays, the Federalist Papers, argued in favor of the new form of government created by the Constitution, and tried to persuade New York residents that the system of checks and balances built into the Constitution would prevent the government from becoming too powerful and depriving citizens of their freedoms. In 1788, New York ratified the Constitution, assuring its success.

The following year, the government of the United States began to function under the new Constitution, and the Electoral College unanimously chose George Washington, a Federalist, as the nation's first president.