Asked by alex

Read the following excerpt from The Objections of the Hon. George Mason to the Proposed Federal Constitution: Addressed to the Citizens of Virginia, written in 1787.

There is no declaration of rights: and the laws of the general government being paramount to the laws and constitutions of the several states, the declarations of rights, in the separate states, are no security.

According to Anti-Federalist George Mason, why would state rights no longer be protected?

State governments would no longer exist under the Constitution.
Local law enforcement would be too busy enforcing national laws.
Governors could choose not to enforce laws under the Constitution.
National laws and the new Constitution would be stronger than state laws.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
National laws and the new Constitution would be stronger than state laws.

Mason’s point is that because federal law is made “paramount” over state constitutions and laws (the Supremacy principle), state declarations of rights would offer no real protection.