AN'TI-FED'ERALISTS. The name given to a certain political faction and party in the United States as a means of conveniently distinguishing those in opposition to the so called Federalist party. As a matter of the ory and analysis, the Federalists believed in a national system of government, while the Anti Federalists believed in a decentralized and strictly federal system of government. The Fed eralists had the advantages of possessing a posi tive programme. and of gaining the first two points in the conflict when the national constitu tion was adopted and when they committed the national government to the exercise of such ex tensive powers as the creation of a national bank. The Anti-Federalists were thus merely a party of political opposition to the party in power. When, however, the Federalists, in the Alien and Sedition Acts (q.v.), seemed to encroach both upon the liberty of the individual and upon the jurisdiction of the States, the opposition of the Anti-Federalists became acute and their funda mental propositions were stated in the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions (q.v.). This crisis
resulted in the triumph of the Anti-Federalists under the leadership of Jefferson in the elec tion of ISOO: but soon thereafter the lead ers of the. party began to abandon its orig inal creed of the strict interpretation of the Con stitution and the narrow limitation of the pow ers of the national government. The first step in this direction was the purchase of Louisiana; and when finally the Federalist party was driven entirely out of existence, its characteristic principles remained effective as the chief prin cipals of the Anti-Federalist party. The party soon received the name Republican party, then Denfocratic-Republican party, and finally Demo cratic party. See DEMOCRATIC PARTY; FEDERAL ISTS ; 1 ZEPUBLICAN PARTY ; PARTY NAMES ; UNITED STATES.