Federalism was the belief in Liberty, but decidedly anti-Nationalist, and Pro-States Rights.
Often forgotten and blatantly ignored (Roe Vs Wade) is the 10th Amendment. Something brilliantly designed to limit Amending.
Basically there are anti-10th Amendments, even poorly written ones that try to change the main body without saying “We are changing this language for this language,” basically existing like the added language.
The Federalists wanted something like the 10th Amendment, to not allow a central authority to use Amendments as means to regulate or limit state powers, or state rights or that of the individual citizen of such states.
Literally if you could argue and Amendment post-10th violates the 10th, a court could remove it.
The most amusing part of it, is repealing the 10th Amendment or any before it would violate the 10th Amendment.
An instance of a violation are Electoral, things that circumvent the ability of State Assemblies to decide how Electors are awarded, and making State College Conventions to vote differently for President than initially mentioned in the main body, which is also in one of those Amendments that doesn’t repeal original language but adds conflicting language.
10th Amendment’s first great attack was Amending it to make Senators Elected by citizenry, rather than selected by Elected State Assemblies essentially as Ambassadors from the State to the Federal Congress.
Even allowing Electors to be applied to DC, and a Congressional Seat (even a population) was a slap in face of the Tenth Amendment and every state in the Union of the United States at the time and in the future.
A very practical reason for DC, it wasn’t meant to be lived in, it was meant as a state-independent place of operation. If they meant it to be a state, they’d have stayed in Philly.