What was the anti federalist's great concern about ratifying the us constitution

Answer 1

The Anti-Federalists had several concerns about ratifying the US Constitution. Their main concern was that the Constitution, as written, gave too much power to the central government and lacked sufficient safeguards to protect individual rights and liberties. They feared that a strong central government would eventually become tyrannical and infringe upon the rights of the states and the people.

Specifically, the Anti-Federalists argued that the Constitution lacked a Bill of Rights, which they believed was necessary to explicitly protect individual freedoms. They felt that without the inclusion of specific rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and assembly, these freedoms would be at risk. They also argued that the Constitution did not provide enough representation for the common people and that the proposed federal government would be dominated by a wealthy elite.

Additionally, the Anti-Federalists were concerned that the Constitution gave the central government too much power over the states. They believed that the states should maintain more autonomy and that a strong central government would undermine the sovereignty and independence of the individual states.

Overall, the Anti-Federalists were skeptical of creating a strong national government without sufficient checks and balances to protect individual rights and prevent the concentration of power. They believed that the Constitution needed to be amended to include explicit protections for individual liberties and to ensure that the states retained a significant role in governing.