Advanced Placement US History (AP US History) Practice Exam

Antifederalists primarily opposed the Constitution due to their concerns about the lack of a Bill of Rights. They feared that without explicit protections for individual liberties, the new federal government could become tyrannical and infringe on the rights of citizens. This apprehension stemmed from their experiences with British rule and the emphasis on individual freedoms articulated in the Declaration of Independence. The demand for a Bill of Rights became a central issue in the debates surrounding the ratification of the Constitution, ultimately leading to the adoption of the first ten amendments that affirm various civil liberties and limit governmental power.

While the concerns about too much federal power were significant among Antifederalists, their specific focus on the need for assurances of individual rights was a driving factor in their opposition. The fear of taxation without representation was more rooted in the colonial experience leading up to the American Revolution and was not as central an issue in the context of the newly proposed Constitution. Moreover, expansion of slavery, while a contentious topic during the founding era, was not the primary concern of Antifederalists in their opposition to the Constitution as a whole.