5.4 Content Check - Ratifying the Constitution

First Name

Last Name

Class

• 8B
• 8R

What problem did Antifederalists have with the Constitution?

• They felt that the central government had been given too much power.
• They felt that too many rights were guaranteed to individual citizens.
• They felt that merchants were not provided with enough protection.

What was George Mason’s position toward the Constitution?

• He opposed it, as he thought the Constitution ignored individual rights.
• He opposed it, as he thought the Constitution gave too much power to individual states.
• He supported it, as he thought the Constitution created a strong, centralized government.

What position did Federalists hold toward the new constitution?

• They praised the way it balanced power among different branches of government.
• They criticized the excessive control it gave to the central government.
• They defended the economic independence it granted to the individual states.

The Federalist Papers attempted to reassure Americans about the new federal government created under the Constitution by saying that the government would

• be more like Great Britain’s.
• not overpower the states.
• one day abolish slavery in the nation.

Which of the following ideas was argued by James Madison in the Federalist Papers?

• The new Constitution would place all power in the hands of the few.
• The addition of a bill of rights to the Constitution would address concerns about protecting individual rights.
• The nation’s diversity would have prevented any single group from gaining too much power.

The Bill of Rights is the document

• added to the Constitution to protect citizens’ rights.
• used to limit the powers of state governments.
• outlining the rights of the federal government.

Some Federalists opposed the idea of a bill of rights because they thought the

• Constitution rejected individual rights.
• Constitution was already a bill of rights.
• Bill of Rights would have ignored slavery.