The debates between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists over ratification of the Constitution lasted for ten months. It was an intense and sometimes bitter political struggle.

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The Anti-Federalists feared that flaws they saw in the Constitution would be a threat to their natural rights.

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The Federalists were the people who supported ratifying the Constitution. They had a few advantages over the Anti-Federalists.

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The Framers knew that they had to get the Constitution approved, so they relied on social contract theory. The people would have to ratify the Constitution in special conventions in each state. The Constitution would be in effect after it had been ratified by the conventions of nine of the thirteen states.

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James Madison wanted the Constitution to be ratified, and he knew it might not be if Congress or state legislatures were asked to approve it. So, he came up with a plan.

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Today, the federal government has far more power over the state governments than most of the Framers of the Constitution could have imagined.

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The Framers of the Constitution agreed that the powers of the federal government were to be greater than the powers of the state governments. This is clearly stated in the supremacy clause of Article VI of the Constitution.

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A constitutional government means that the powers of government are limited. The U.S. Constitution limits the powers of both the federal and state governments.

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As citizens of the United States, the people delegate certain powers to the national government. As citizens of the various states, the people delegate certain powers to their state governments. The people have kept certain rights or powers and have not delegated them to any government.

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Federalism is the practice of dividing and sharing the powers of government between a central government and regional governments such as state governments.

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