The Constitution Ratification Debate: What Would an Anti-Federalist Support?
Which statement would an Anti-Federalist most likely have supported during the ratification debate over the Constitution?
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A. The Constitution does not need any changes.
B. The Constitution must guarantee the protection of individual rights.
C. The federal government needs to be stronger to secure our nation.
D. The federal government should have the power to create and collect taxes.
Answer:
B. Constitution must guarantee the protection of individual rights.
An anti-federalist during this era was someone who was opposed to the U.S. federal government. They were against the constitution giving the federal government more power. So an Anti-Federalist would not have supported a stronger federal government nor would they have wanted them to create and collect taxes. They valued individual rights and more specifically, state rights. They thought the federal government was trying to impose on states rights. They weren’t happy with the current Constitution before the ratification debate so they wouldn’t have wanted it to remain as is either. Anti-Federalists most likely would have supported the idea that the Constitution must guarantee the protection of individual rights.