Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists – The Ratification Debate [1787-1791]

The ratification debate,  waged in the newspapers, through pamphlets, and on the floor of the state conventions, led to heated arguments about our new governments structure and function.

Faction: A political faction is a grouping of individuals united in a common goal or set of common goals for the organization they are a part of, not necessarily shared by all of that organization's members. They band together as a way of achieving these goals and advancing their agenda and position within the organization.

A political faction could thus be described as a “party within a party”. However, political factions are not limited to political parties; they can and frequently do form within any group that has some sort of political aim or purpose.