Which group supported ratification of the Constitution as a stronger national government?

Which group supported ratification of the Constitution as a stronger national government?

• A. Federalists
• B. Anti-Federalists
• C. Democrats
• D. Whigs

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is why some leaders favored a stronger national government under the Constitution. Federalists argued that the Articles of Confederation left the states too weak to handle national defense, debt, and interstate commerce. They believed a new framework with a powerful national government—able to tax, regulate trade, and provide for common defense—was necessary. At the same time, they built in a system of separated powers and checks and balances to prevent tyranny, and they supported adding a Bill of Rights to protect liberties. This combination would unite the states into a more effective nation while safeguarding rights. Anti-Federalists worried that a strong central government would threaten state authority and individual freedoms, so they pressed for protections like a Bill of Rights before ratification. The terms Democrats and Whigs belong to later political eras and aren’t part of this debate. So the group described is the Federalists.

The main idea being tested is why some leaders favored a stronger national government under the Constitution. Federalists argued that the Articles of Confederation left the states too weak to handle national defense, debt, and interstate commerce. They believed a new framework with a powerful national government—able to tax, regulate trade, and provide for common defense—was necessary. At the same time, they built in a system of separated powers and checks and balances to prevent tyranny, and they supported adding a Bill of Rights to protect liberties. This combination would unite the states into a more effective nation while safeguarding rights. Anti-Federalists worried that a strong central government would threaten state authority and individual freedoms, so they pressed for protections like a Bill of Rights before ratification. The terms Democrats and Whigs belong to later political eras and aren’t part of this debate. So the group described is the Federalists.