Federalist Anti Federalist Paper

Jacob Jarvis

Dr. Wells

ENGL 1203

17 October 2016

Government

        We have got to learn how to get along as a country. Yes, it is nice for people to have different ideas and opinions, but not if it divides the people. I hear all the time about how the people in our government can’t agree on anything. I hear how the people running our nation can’t get anything accomplished. We act like this is a new thing. In fact, there have been disagreements from the very start of our great nation. Federalists and Anti- Federalists were the main people who just couldn’t seem to agree. Both had good ideas, but one was simply better. Federalists were in support of a strong central government, but weak state governments. On the other hand, Anti-Federalists were supporting strong state governments, with weak central governments. I side with the Federalists because I believe in a strong central government.

        I believe we need a strong central government to unify our nation. Unity as a nation is so important. Abraham Lincoln said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand."(House Divided). Abraham Lincoln understood this, and tried to help others to understand this. What happened a short time later? The Civil War began! State governments didn’t agree with the national government which is okay, but they went to war instead of negotiating something to benefit both sides. So, what is a strong central government? To me, a strong central government is in which the country is run by a national government.  What is so great about a national government? We as the people, get to vote in who represents the national government. So, if we don’t like what they are doing, we can vote someone else in. With strong state governments, every state would be different which could cause chaos. Imagine going to see family and getting arrested for something illegal in that state that is perfectly legal in your own state. It would be frustrating! Every state would have different rules and regulations which could cause confusion.

        I understand where the Anti-Federalists were coming from. They didn’t want the government to pick and choose everything. They didn’t want the government becoming like England. This makes sense, but imagine if we would’ve given states the power, and not a main government. How would slavery have ended? If slavery did end, what would happen to states like Arkansas and Alabama who really wanted to keep places segregated? Would Jim Crow laws still be in effect? Yes, states’ rights are important, but there has to be a leader. Leadership is defined as “an act or an instance of leading”. (Websters). In my opinion, having one body of leadership works better than having multiple bodies of leadership. Although, the way the US government is set up, it is technically 3 bodies of leadership working together to form one national government. The way that the United States government is set up