Which group opposed the Constitution unless a Bill of Rights was included?

Which group opposed the Constitution unless a Bill of Rights was included?

• A. Federalists
• B. Anti-Federalists
• C. The Constitution
• D. Bill of Rights

Answer: (B)

Opposition to the Constitution without explicit protections for individual rights came from the Anti-Federalists. They worried that a strong central government could abuse power and leave personal liberties unprotected, since the original document didn’t enumerate rights. To secure passage of the new framework, they insisted on a Bill of Rights—a set of guaranteed liberties such as freedom of speech, religion, and due process. Their push helped ensure the addition of the first ten amendments as a condition for ratification in many states. The Federalists supported the Constitution as written and did not require a Bill of Rights for approval, so they are not the group in question. The Constitution is the framework, and the Bill of Rights are the amendments—neither describes a group that opposed the document.

Opposition to the Constitution without explicit protections for individual rights came from the Anti-Federalists. They worried that a strong central government could abuse power and leave personal liberties unprotected, since the original document didn’t enumerate rights. To secure passage of the new framework, they insisted on a Bill of Rights—a set of guaranteed liberties such as freedom of speech, religion, and due process. Their push helped ensure the addition of the first ten amendments as a condition for ratification in many states.

The Federalists supported the Constitution as written and did not require a Bill of Rights for approval, so they are not the group in question. The Constitution is the framework, and the Bill of Rights are the amendments—neither describes a group that opposed the document.