What did the Anti-Federalists oppose?

The Anti-Federalists opposed the Constitution because they were concerned that it created a strong central government that could potentially infringe on the rights of individuals and the sovereignty of the states. Their fear was that the new government would have too much power and lacked adequate measures to protect individual liberties. This concern ultimately led to the demand for a Bill of Rights, which would explicitly outline and protect individual freedoms. The Anti-Federalists argued that the Constitution, as originally proposed, did not sufficiently safeguard these rights, prompting a significant debate during the ratification process. In contrast, other issues like taxation without representation were more prominent in earlier periods, such as during the American Revolution. The Anti-Federalists did not focus specifically on the formation of political parties, as that issue arose later in American politics.