Before the constitution was even written, two parties emerged vying for a direction for america. name them and their characteristics the federalists who wanted a strong federal government and the republicans who wanted freer elections the anti-federalist who were against a strong government and the whigs who wanted states to have more power whigs who wanted a standing militia and the federalists who wanted a federal reserve the federalists who wanted a strong centralized government and the anti-federalist who wanted to restrict the federal government and give states more freedoms and legal control