Between September 17, 1787, the day the Constitution was signed by the Constitutional Convention, and May 29, 1790, the day Rhode Island became the last state to ratify the Constitution, federalists and antifederalists engaged in a national debate. The delegates that were working on the transition from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution decided that only 9 of the 13 states had to vote their approval, for the changes to take place. Even with low ratification requirements, the battle for ratification was a close one. Anti-federalists were a diverse group of people, who opposed the Constitution. The Anti-federalists were not exactly against a federal government, but they wanted the supreme power to remain to the states. They were afraid the Constitution failed to protect the individual's rights, disregard paper money, and foreclose their farms. Even though they were not satisfied with the proposition at hand, they suggested no alternative. Anti-federalists were mostly farmers, and known to be poorer than most Federalists. They had some prominent leaders, such as John Hancock, Patrick Henry, and others. .
Federalists favored the idea of a strong federal government, and completely supported the Constitution. Most federalists were wealthy and well educated. Many of which, lived in large coastal cities, and wanted to regulate trade to help their businesses. Federalists focused their arguments on the weak points of the Articles of Confederation, and the benefits of a national government. The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation are as follows; Congress didn't have the power to tax, or regulate foreign trade, there was no executive branch or national court system, and each state only had one vote in Congress, regardless of the size. .
Many well-known leaders of the time period, such as Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, were for the Constitution. Unlike the Anti-federalists, the Federalists were much more organized.
