| Argument | Federalist | Anti-Federalist |
|----------|-----------|----------------|
|Belief about power of central government | Strong central government was necessary to protect the nation's interests from factions | Strong central government would be a threat to individual rights and state sovereignty |
|Need for a Bill of Rights | Opposed a Bill of Rights, argued that it was implied in the Constitution | Demanded a Bill of Rights that would explicitly protect individual liberties |
|Interpretation of the Constitution | Supported a broad interpretation of the powers granted to the central government | Favored a strict interpretation of the Constitution that would limit the central government's power and preserve states' rights |
|View on democracy | Favored a mixed form of government that would incorporate elements of democracy with checks and balances | Argued that a pure democracy would be vulnerable to tyranny and favored greater representation of ordinary citizens |