antifederalism
Against centralized government
Antifederalism was opposition to the ratification of the U.S.
Constitution in the 1780s, particularly resistance to a strong central government.
Antifederalists feared that federal power would eclipse state sovereignty and individual liberties—concerns that led to the Bill of Rights as a compromise.
The term now applies broadly to skepticism of centralized governmental authority.
Formal approval by authority
- amendmentChange to official text
- Bill of RightsInitial constitutional amendments guaranteeing freedoms
- articlesWritten works or items
- separation of powersConstitutional distribution of authority
checks and balances · enumerated powers · reserved powers · limited government · constitutional convention · representative government · republicanism
- Bill of RightsInitial constitutional amendments guaranteeing freedoms
- founding eraTime of original establishment
Provincial governmental autonomy
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
- localismPreference for nearby things
- nullificationFormal cancellation of validity
- devolutionTransferring power locally
subsidiarity · home rule · interposition · regionalism · state sovereignty · decentralists · grassroots democracy · yeoman farmer
Rights limiting government power
- individual rightsFreedoms held by persons
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- self-governanceIndependent management of affairs
- privacyFreedom from observation
free press · religious liberty · trial by jury · standing armies · habeas corpus · popular sovereignty · consent of the governed · natural rights
Unifying control in one place
- consolidationCombining into unified whole
- tyrannyOppressive, absolute governance
- aristocracyRule by hereditary elite
- standing armyContinuously maintained military force
ratification
Formal approval by authority
- amendmentChange to official text
- Bill of RightsInitial constitutional amendments guaranteeing freedoms
- articlesWritten works or items
separation of powers · checks and balances · enumerated powers · reserved powers · limited government · constitutional convention · representative government · republicanism
Patrick Henry
- Bill of RightsInitial constitutional amendments guaranteeing freedoms
- founding eraTime of original establishment
states' rights
Provincial governmental autonomy
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
- localismPreference for nearby things
- nullificationFormal cancellation of validity
devolution · subsidiarity · home rule · interposition · regionalism · state sovereignty · decentralists · grassroots democracy · yeoman farmer
civil liberties
Rights limiting government power
- individual rightsFreedoms held by persons
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- self-governanceIndependent management of affairs
privacy · free press · religious liberty · trial by jury · standing armies · habeas corpus · popular sovereignty · consent of the governed · natural rights · citizen militia
centralization
Unifying control in one place
- consolidationCombining into unified whole
- tyrannyOppressive, absolute governance
- aristocracyRule by hereditary elite
antifederalismfederalism
Divided governmental authority system
Federalism · centralism · unionism · strong central government · nationalism