the opponents of the constitution were known as patriots.
the opponents of the constitution were known as patriots.
what were the opponents of the constitution known as?
patriots
while the federalist movement of the 1780s and the federalist party were distinct entities, they were related in more than just a common name. the democratic-republican party, the opposition to the federalist party, emphasized the fear that a strong national government was a threat to the liberties of the people. they stressed that the national debt created by the new government would bankrupt the country, and that federal bondholders were paid from taxes paid by honest farmers and workingmen. these themes resonated with the anti-federalists, the opposition to the federalist movement of the 1780s. as norman risjord has documented for virginia, of the supporters of the constitution in 1788, 69% joined the federalist party, while nearly all (94%) of the opponents joined the republicans. 71% of thomas jefferson's supporters in virginia were former anti-federalists who continued to fear centralized government, while only 29% had been proponents of the constitution a few years before. in short, nearly all of the opponents of the federalist movement became opponents of the federalist party.
federalism in the united states
the first amendment is part of a group of 10 amendments to the united states constitution known as the bill of rights. the idea of adding a bill of rights to the constitution was proposed by george mason five days before the conclusion of the constitutional convention held in philadelphia in 1787. his proposal was rejected by the other delegates. alexander hamilton later argued in "the federalist papers" that a bill of rights was unnecessary, claiming that since the constitution granted limited powers to the federal government, it did not grant the new government the power to abuse the rights that would be secured by a bill of rights. nevertheless, the supporters of the constitution (known as federalists) in order to secure its ratification in massachusetts, agreed to add a group of amendments to the constitution after its ratification that would serve as a bill of rights. later, six more states likewise recommended the addition of a bill of rights, and the idea also gained the support of jefferson and madison. when the first federal congress met in 1789, madison implemented the idea by introducing 17 amendments to the constitution. by december 1791, ten of his amendments were ratified by the necessary three quarters of the states, and they became part of the us constitution, thereafter becoming known as "the bill of rights".
establishment clause