cratic one, was soon to follow. One such believer in this potential outcome, the anti-Federalist calling himself “Federalist Farmer,” offers his interpretation of the positions of power under the new Constitution, comparing them to the English monarchy and Parliament, saying that the new government consists of “three different branches, namely, king, lords, and commons or, in the American language, President, Senate and Representatives .” This feeling is echoed in most of the anti-Federalist writings, that political officials are, as one writer put it, no more than an “elective monarchy .” The correlation between the potential abuse of power and the rich, intellectual and aristocratic class of Americans was a great reason behind the suspicious perception of government on the part of the anti-Federalists. This air of distrust was especially strong since the memories of the oppressive reign of England and the revolutionary spirit were still fresh in the minds and hearts of Americans. The anti-Federalists had a great deal to be concerned with in light of the proposed Constitution, as the political power and democratic rights of the majority were seemingly tossed aside, leaving them helpless subjects, rather than active political participants in the new government. For the most part, their concerns about the potential abuses of power were not unfounded, paranoid delusions; they were based in the reality that the Constitution allowed a few, generally rich, men to control the lives of the majority of men. The anti-Federalists’ claim that the new Constitution will not secure a popular form of government, rather, it “will commence in a moderate aristocracy…produce a monarchy, or a corrupt oppressive aristocracy (Kammen 258),” is supported by evidence in the document itself. The Framers’ intent to limit the power of the people in the new government is realized through the ...
