Are you a Federalist or Anti-Federalist?

[Individual]

One or the other are intentionally the only possible answers.

 

[The flaming lib]

Fed.

 

[Mycroft]

One or the other are intentionally the only possible answers.

Define the two terms, please.

 

[Individual]

Define the two terms, please.

By your own definition, which you may define in a comment if you feel a need to clarify.

 

[SkyChief]

Federalist:
a person who advocates or supports a system of government in which several states bow to a central authority. (Big and powerful government)

anti-Federalist:
one who believes that the Constitution gives the federal government too much power and the states with not enough power. (small and limited government)

 

[Gatsby]

Alexander Hamilton
We are waiting in the wings for you
Oh, Alexander Hamilton
When America sings for you

Will they know what you overcame?
Will they know you rewrote your game?
The world will never be the same, oh

The ship is in the harbor now
See if you can spot him (just you wait)
Another immigrant comin' up from the bottom (just you wait)
His enemies destroyed his rep America forgot him

There's a million things I haven't done
But just you wait
What's your name, man?
Alexander Hamilton

 

[GummyVitamins]

Federalist:
a person who advocates or supports a system of government in which several states bow to a central authority. (Big and powerful government)

anti-Federalist:
one who believes that the Constitution gives the federal government too much power and the states with not enough power. (small and limited government)

This is very wrong.

 

[Mycroft]

By your own definition, which you may define in a comment if you feel a need to clarify.

No.

It's your poll, You define the terms.

 

[OrphanSlug]

Bullshit poll, using outdated concepts, probably as bait, and all with little applicability in modern times.

 

[Phys251]

One or the other are intentionally the only possible answers.

The year 1789 is calling and wants its outdated question back.

 

[Individual]

This is very wrong.

What is wrong? It clarifies the response given.

 

[Gatsby]

This is very wrong.

Technically that definition is correct, in the Hamilton-vs-Jefferson sense of those terms. The problem is that "federalist" is one of those words, like "liberal" or "oligarch," which has evolved to mean almost the exact opposite of what it originally meant.

 

[Individual]

No.

It's your poll, You define the terms.

I defined the terms choose one or the other, with clarification in a comment if you feel necessary, or simply don't choose either.

 

[Individual]

Bullshit poll, using outdated concepts, probably as bait, and all with little applicability in modern times.

So ignore the poll.

 

[GummyVitamins]

Technically that definition is correct, in the Hamilton-vs-Jefferson sense of those terms. The problem is that "federalist" is one of those words, like "liberal" or "oligarch," which has evolved to mean almost the exact opposite of what it originally meant.

Perhaps I'm missing the boat entirely here. A federalist is someone who supports federalism. Thus, an anti-federalist would be someone who opposes federalism. Federalism is a tiered system of government where power is split between a federal government a regional governments.

Edit: just realized "Federalist" is capitalized and "you" is not. Thus, the question pertains to the original Federalist party. Womp womp.

 

[Individual]

Technically that definition is correct, in the Hamilton-vs-Jefferson sense of those terms. The problem is that "federalist" is one of those words, like "liberal" or "oligarch," which has evolved to mean almost the exact opposite of what it originally meant.

Everyone is free to define the meaning of their selection in a comment in original or modern terms.

 

[Mycroft]

I defined the terms choose one or the other, with clarification in a comment if you feel necessary, or simply don't choose either.

Useless thread dismissed.

 

[GummyVitamins]

Alexander Hamilton
We are waiting in the wings for you
Oh, Alexander Hamilton
When America sings for you

Will they know what you overcame?
Will they know you rewrote your game?
The world will never be the same, oh

The ship is in the harbor now
See if you can spot him (just you wait)
Another immigrant comin' up from the bottom (just you wait)
His enemies destroyed his rep America forgot him

There's a million things I haven't done
But just you wait
What's your name, man?
Alexander Hamilton

I spent a day hanging out with Christopher Jackson and his wife Veronica. Nice guy, down to earth.

 

[Doug64]

Federalist, in the context of ratifying the US Constitution. (Otherwise balancing them against the Anti-Federalists makes no sense.) The Anti-Federalists were in a number of ways prescient in how the Constitution's application would evolve (though it took a lot longer than they undoubtedly expected), but the Articles of Confederation had real issues and the Anti-Federalists had no viable alternatives to offer to the Constitution.

 

[Individual]

Not exactly what I expected as a response to my poll question.

My own definition of the terms Federalist and Anti-Federalist are:
Federalist - Government exuding from the Top, by politicians who most often represent only a pluraity of the people, who are then represented by the Parties elected to the Houses of Congress.
Anti-Federalist - Government flowing from a majority of the people in a majority of the States resulting in passage of laws by a majority of representatives of both the people and the States in both Houses of Congress.

 

[Jason Warfield]

Useless thread dismissed.

You refuse to participate in the poll when told to use what you believe to be what the definitions of federalist and anti-federalist are and to base your answers on that because you would rather tear down others rather than being torn down yourself.

You are dismissed.

 

[RetiredUSN]

One or the other are intentionally the only possible answers.

Are you being overly simplistic for any other reason than your lack of of knowledge?

 

[Individual]

Are you being overly simplistic for any other reason than your lack of of knowledge?

But too difficult to pick an answer?
Questions are asked to gain knowledge, and your response provides me with useful knowledge.

 

[Doug64]

Not exactly what I expected as a response to my poll question.

My own definition of the terms Federalist and Anti-Federalist are:
Federalist - Government exuding from the Top, by politicians who most often represent only a pluraity of the people, who are then represented by the Parties elected to the Houses of Congress.
Anti-Federalist - Government flowing from a majority of the people in a majority of the States resulting in passage of laws by a majority of representatives of both the people and the States in both Houses of Congress.

If you want people to use those definitions, you should include them in your first post. Since “Anti-Federalist” isn’t a term that’s had any usage in US politics except in the context of the ratification of the Constitution (and nowhere else that I’m aware of), that was the context that I used for the poll. Nor do your definitions really fit the reality of the ratification debates—both the Federalists and Anti-Federalists were firm believers in democratic institutions (if not Democracy).

 

[Individual]

If you want people to use those definitions, you should include them in your first post. Since “Anti-Federalist” isn’t a term that’s had any usage in US politics except in the context of the ratification of the Constitution (and nowhere else that I’m aware of), that was the context that I used for the poll. Nor do your definitions really fit the reality of the ratification debates—both the Federalists and Anti-Federalists were firm believers in democratic institutions (if not Democracy).

As I said earlier, each is free to choose and define the reason for their choice. My definition may not be yours. Are you claiming the founders had created a democratic form of government? Initially, only property owners/tax paying white male citizens had the Right to vote, with all male citizens gaining that Right in 1828, and Black males gaining the Right in 1870, and Women not until the 20th century.
But use what definitions you wish and define them in a comment if you want others to understand.