The Antifederalists, such as Patrick Henry, John Hancock, and Sam Adams, opposed ratification of the proposed Constitution because
Group of answer choices
a. they believed that state governments should be abolished.
b. it included a bill of rights.
c. they were concerned that it did not do enough to ensure frequent rotation of elected officials.
d. they opposed direct election of members of the House of Representatives.
e. they felt the national government was not given enough power.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is c. they were concerned that it did not do enough to ensure frequent rotation of elected officials.
The Antifederalists, including prominent figures such as Patrick Henry, John Hancock, and Samuel Adams, strongly opposed the ratification of the proposed U.S. Constitution. Their concerns primarily centered around the potential for centralization of power in the hands of a few, which they feared could lead to the erosion of states’ rights and individual liberties. A significant part of their opposition was rooted in the Constitution’s lack of provisions for a frequent rotation of elected officials, which they believed would help prevent the consolidation of power within a political elite and ensure that elected representatives remained accountable to the people.
At the heart of Antifederalist thought was the idea of maintaining the power of state governments and protecting the interests of ordinary citizens from potential abuses of a strong centralized government. They were particularly wary of the idea that the new government would create a ruling class of entrenched politicians who could remain in power for long periods of time, disconnected from the electorate. They believed that rotating officials regularly through elections would limit the growth of political elites and foster greater participation and engagement from the general populace.
While the Antifederalists did support the inclusion of a Bill of Rights and the protection of individual freedoms, their opposition to the Constitution was not due to its inclusion of such a bill, but rather due to concerns over the potential for an overly powerful national government and the lack of protections against the entrenchment of political elites. They advocated for more safeguards to preserve the democratic principles that they felt could be compromised under the new system.