Federalists beliefs could be better described as nationalist. The Federalists were instrumental in in shaping the new US Constitution, which strengthened.... Those who opposed the ratification of the Constitution in favor of small localized government were known as Anti-Federalists. Both the Federalists and the.... Whats the difference between Anti-Federalist and Federalist? In U.S. history, anti-federalists were those who opposed the development of a strong federal.... The main difference between the Federalists and Antifederalists was that the Federalists pushed for a Constitution that created a strong central government,.... Anti-Federalists opposed ratification and believed power should be concentrated with the states rather than with the federal government. They worried that a.... . . ... The citizens that opposed the idea of one principal government were the Antifederalists, who supported the idea of small, state governments. The.... . . ... Federalists supported the ratification of the new Constitu