David writes:

> I wish to remind or inform our viewers (tho most are probably aware) that "
> Federalist" meant very restricted power to the national government, a
> federation of states being more loosely coupled than a republic.  I have
> always been a federalist.

Actually, you have it backwards. You're apparently an Anti-Federalist, not a
Federalist.

The Encyclopedia Britannica writes this about the Federalist Party:

"[The Federalist Party was an] early U.S. national political party, which
advocated a strong central government and held power from 1789 to 1801. The
term federalist was first used in 1787 to describe the supporters of the
newly written Constitution, who emphasized the federal character of the
proposed Union [over the powers of the individual states]."


In contrast, the Britannica writes this about the Anti-Federalists:

"[The Anti-Federalists were] in early U.S. history, a loose political
coalition of popular politicians such as Patrick Henry who unsuccessfully
opposed the strong central government envisioned in the U.S. Constitution of
1787 and whose agitations led to the addition of a Bill of Rights. The first
in the long line of states'-rights advocates, they feared the authority of a
single national government, upper-class dominance, inadequate separation of
powers, and loss of immediate control over local affairs. Stilling their
opposition in order to support the first administration of President George
Washington, the Anti-Federalists in 1791 became the nucleus of the
Jeffersonian Republican Party (subsequently Democratic-Republican, finally
Democratic) as strict constructionists of the new Constitution and in
opposition to a strong national fiscal policy."

As stated above the Anti-Federalists eventually evolved themselves into the
modern Democratic Party, thus let me be the first to welcome you into the
Democratic Party, Dave :-).

Wirt Atmar

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