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The Anti-Federalists were against the ratification of the Constitution for many reasons. The Anti-Federalists believed that the Constitution, as drafted, would lead to a loss of individual liberties, an erosion of state sovereignty, and the potential for the rise of tyranny. They advocated for a more decentralized form of government with greater protections for individual rights and stronger representation for the states. Principally, they were afraid that the national government would be too robust and would, thus, threaten states and individual rights. In the broad Antifederalist sense, they held that states should be significantly autonomous and independent in their authority, applying the right to self-administration in all significant internal matters without the unwanted interjections of the federal government. The Anti-Federalists debated with their Federalist colleagues, including Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, on the functional model and competencies of the planned federal government. The Anti-Federalists believed that almost all the executive power should be left to the country's authorities, while the Federalists wanted centralized national governments.

They also believed that a large central government would not serve the interests of small towns and rural areas, as opposed to the urban interests that most Federalist delegates aligned with. Generally, Anti-federalists were more likely to be small farmers than lawyers and merchants and came from rural areas rather than the urban areas many federalists represented. In their journey to protect the interests of rural areas and farmers, the Anti-Federalists believed:

They believed the Constitution, as written, would be oppressive

The Influence of the Anti-Federalists on the Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is a foundation of American democracy that outlines individual rights and liberties, curbing the government’s role in violating people’s rights. When analyzing the historical evolution of the document, the contributions attributed to the Anti-Federalists place them at the center stage of the formation and adoption of the Bill of Rights.

As a response to the Anti-Federalists’ demands for the addition of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution, which they believed could protect individuals from the states’ patricide and central government tyranny, the Federalists agreed to consider the amendments. The Federalist, James Madison, the primary architect of the Constitution, wrote the ten amendments that became the Bill of Rights which fulfilled the promises made by the Federalists to Anti-Federalists after the anti-constitution activists protested.

The Anti-Federalists drafted a bill of rights which is the first ten amendments written in the Constitution. These amendments ensured the freedom of speech, religion, and assembly among others, and they also protected citizens against the right to bear arms and escape from unreasonable search and seizures. Their libertarian views and views on individual rights were embedded in the Constitution and continue to drive American political thought.

The Anti-Federalists especially advocated for the states’ rights and believed in shared powers among the states and the national government. The tenth amendment of the US Constitution saw them reserve the others’ powers to the people and states. Regarding the same, the Anti-Federalists believed tyranny could only be limited if power was shared. That is, it separated the federal government’s powers over states’ rights in order to avoid the tyranical nature of their past ruler.