U.S. leaders who opposed the strong central government envisioned in the Constitution of the United States of 1787.
Their agitation led to the creation of the Bill of Rights . While admitting the need for changes in the Articles of Confederation , they feared that a strong federal government would infringe on states' rights . The group's adherents, including George Mason , Patrick Henry , Thomas Paine , Samuel Adams , and George Clinton , were as numerous as the members of the Federalist Party , but their influence was weak in urban areas, and only Rhode Island and North Carolina voted against ratification of the Constitution. Anti-Federalists were powerful during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson , when they formed the nucleus of what later became the Democratic Party .