House of Representatives
One of the biggest disagreements between the federalist and the anti-federalist was the issue of the separation of powers, that the executive, judicial, and legislative branches should be separate and distinct. The anti-federalists were afraid that the mixing of the powers would enable the government to hold all of the power and trample on the rights of the individual. The federalist realized this and addressed the issue by saying that in a government of mixed powers it is important that each branch have a degree of control over another. In an idealistic government the people would have the power to elect and control all branches of government. The federalist realized this was not a feasible task because of the lack of knowledge the public had with governing affairs. Therefore the people would vote for trained representatives that would voice their concerns and opinions. These representatives would make up the congress or the legislative branch. America was to be known as a republic form of government. In a representative republic the most powerful branch is the legislative branch because this is the branch that appeals to the people. The federalist divided the congress into the House of R
So a compromise was made. The House would grow as the nation's population increased, but the increase would have to be regulated so that the House could function properly. epresentatives and the Congress to balance the power, each having a different election process. The election process of the House of Representatives concerned the anti-federalists. The anti-federalist criticized these processes because they were very different from the manner in which they elected representatives for their own state legislature. In this paper I will discuss theses criticisms and the federalist's responses to these criticisms. The major concern of the federalist was the smooth operation of the House. Having a constant increase in the number of representatives could cause havoc in the House. In the constitution it states that the House of Representatives would be composed of 65 members. This concerned the anti-federalist because some states had more than 65 state representatives did alone. This high number of representatives made it possible for people of different classes and walks of life to be represented within their state. With only 65 representatives how could it be possible for all people to be represented? In the essay "To the Citizens of the State of New York", the anti-federalist Brutus, states, "One man, or a few men, cannot possibly represent the feelings, opinions, and characters of a great multitude. In this respect, the new constitution is radically defective. The house of assembly, which is intended as a representation of the people of America, will
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1064
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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