ANTIFEBRIN, a name commonly employed for acetanilide (q.v.), an organic compound present in various headache powders.
the name given in the political history of the United States to those who, after the formation of the Federal Constitution of 1787, opposed its ratification by the people of the several States. The "party" (though it was never regularly organized as such) was composed of "statesrights," par ticularist, individualist and radical democratic elements; that is, of those persons who thought that a stronger government threat ened the sovereignty and prestige of the States, or the special interests, individual or commercial, of localities, or the liberties of individuals, or who fancied they saw in the government pro posed a new centralized, disguised "monarchic" power that would only replace the cast-off despotism of Great Britain. In every State the opposition to the Constitution was strong, and in two— North Carolina and Rhode Island—it prevented ratification until the definite establishment of the new government practically forced their adhesion. The individualist was the strongest ele ment of opposition; the necessity, or at least the desirability, of a bill of rights was almost universally felt. Instead of accepting the Constitution upon the condition of amendments—in which way they might very likely have secured large concessions—the Anti-Federalists stood for unconditional rejection, and public opinion, which went against them, proved that for all its short comings the Constitution was regarded as preferable to the arti cles of confederation. After the inauguration of the new govern ment, the composition of the Anti-Federalist Party changed. The Federalist (q.v.) Party gradually showed "broad-construction," nationalist tendencies; the Anti-Federalist Party became a "strict construction" party and advocated popular rights against the al leged aristocratic, centralizing tendencies of its opponent, and gradually was transformed into the Democratic-Republican party, mustered and led by Thomas Jefferson, who, however, had ap proved the ratification of the Constitution and was not, therefore, an Anti-Federalist in the original sense of that term.
See 0. G. Libby, Geographical Distribution of the Vote ... on the Federal Constitution, 1787-1788 (University of Wisconsin Bulletin, 1894) ; S. B. Harding, Contest over the Ratification of the Federal Constitution in ... Massachusetts (Harvard University Studies, 1896) ; and authorities on political and constitutional history in the article UNITED STATES.