The political group from the late 1780s that believed the national government should have the most power in the U.S. government were the Federalists.
The Federalists were American politicians that though that the best form of government for the United States would be a strong central government. They were led by people such as Jhon Jay and Alexander Hamilton. The opposing faction was the Anti-federalists, led by Thomas Jefferson. They did not believe in a strong federal government because it had the risk of becoming a tyranny like the British monarchy.
