Two groups that played a key role were Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Federalists believed in having a strong central government, whereas Anti-Federalists waned the majority of the power given to the people and were wary of the government having too much control. These groups are similar to Authoritarians and Libertarians of today’s society, respectively. In fact, these group’s differing beliefs sparked one of the disagreements surrounding the Constitution, “One of the many points of contention between Federalists and Anti-Federalists was the Constitution’s lack of a bill of rights that would place specific limits on government power. Federalists argued that the Constitution did not need a bill of rights, because the people and the states kept any powers not given to the federal government. Anti- Federalists held that a bill of rights was necessary to safeguard individual liberty” (Bill of Rights Institute, "Bill of Rights of the United States of America …show more content…
They wanted a nation where everyone could have their own ideals and succeed. They were serious about building a new government unlike what they had experienced. Author Carol Berkin remarks, “Whether Federalist or Antifederalist, nationalist or provincial, the men who led the new nation had much more in common than they might have conceded in the heat of their political and ideological struggles.” (Berkin, 133 ) To some extent, the disagreements amongst the different groups were a good thing, because they allowed the colonists to create a document that appealed to everyones needs, no matter what group they belonged to. And the ability for the document to be amended for changing times and situations is proof of innovative thinking from the founding fathers. Furthermore, this union of ideals and standards created a government that is “both specific enough to outline the basic powers of our government and flexible (through the process of amendments) that it meets the challenges of contemporary life. It is not a static document of the late 18th century, but a living and breathing source of democracy” (Political Science Research Paper Topic Suggestions on the