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Defending the Constitution
majority factions would represent diverse populations with different interests. Majority factions of this kind would be more moderate than small,
homogeneous factions, since they would be forced to compromise many
of their positions in order to function as a majority. The Federal government, in other words, would have a conservative, moderating influence
on the affairs of the people, checking the radical elements in the States—
like Daniel Shays.
Although the Federalists won the argument, we should not presume
that the Anti-Federalists were wrong about any or all of these issues. The
inquiring student, having examined the debates thoroughly and objectively, may well conclude that the Anti-Federalists were right about certain matters. For we must not lose sight of the fact that the debate over
the Constitution was a political debate, and that both sides were seeking
to persuade their fellow countrymen that their position was the correct
one. In the course of the debate, both sides tended to exaggerate their
claims, the Federalists playing down the fact that the Constitution did
indeed confer great power on the Federal government, and the AntiFederalists overstating the deficiencies of the Constitution.
Moreover, we should not over-inflate the effect and significance of the
Anti-Federalists’ victory in securing adoption of the Bill of Rights. For
the Bill of Rights neither incr