PS4700 American Political Thought Practice Test

The question tests understanding of why a Bill of Rights was demanded in the early United States. The Anti-Federalists argued that the new Constitution would empower a central government with broad, unchecked authority unless explicit protections for individual rights were written down. They warned that without a list of rights, freedoms such as speech, religion, and due process could be at risk from federal overreach. Their insistence on enumerating rights became a major condition for ratification, and it culminated in the addition of the first ten amendments in 1791. In contrast, Federalists believed the Constitution's structure—separation of powers, checks and balances, and the performance of government with popular consent—would sufficiently guard liberty, and they were less insistent on a separate bill of rights (though Madison did help sponsor the amendments later as a compromise). Therefore, the group that argued for a Bill of Rights to protect against the federal government is the Anti-Federalists.