Why did anti federalist refuse to accept the constitution?

Answer 1

This group had been known as federalists during the revolution because they wanted a federation of autonomous states rather than the centralized system that the nationalists wanted. During the debate over the constitution the nationalists began calling themselves federalist and so as their opponents the federalists became the anti federalist. They agreed that the central government needed more power than it had under the Articles of Confederation, but the farmers of the constitution had gone too far, giving the president too much power, setting up federal courts that would encroach on local courts/system, and creating a Congress so small that it would exclude humbler officeholders and they couldn't know or represent their large constituencies. In the end they predicted the state government would fade away and that the national government so removed from local conditions that they would rule by force rather than by consent. This was the problems they had with the Constitution.