What was the main objection to the Constitution?
Asked by: Dr. Suzanne VonRueden I | Last update: September 28, 2025Score: 4.2/5 (52 votes)
During the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1787-1788, many people felt the document lacked sufficient protection for citizens' individual rights and liberties.
What was the main argument against the Constitution?
Anti-Federalists argued that the Constitution gave too much power to the federal government, while taking too much power away from state and local governments. Many felt that the federal government would be too far removed to represent the average citizen.
What was the main issue of the Constitution?
A chief aim of the Constitution as drafted by the Convention was to create a government with enough power to act on a national level, but without so much power that fundamental rights would be at risk.
What was George Mason's major objection to the Constitution?
1. There is no Declaration of Rights, and the laws of the general government being paramount to the laws and constitution of the several States, the Declarations of Rights in the separate States are no security. Nor are the people secured even in the enjoyment of the benefit of the common law.
Which of the following was one objection to the Constitution?
Five of their most significant objections to the Constitution are summarized in the excerpts that follow: that replacement of the Articles of Confederation was unnecessary; that the new government would give rise to a privileged aristocracy; that a stronger central government would obliterate the states; that a large, ...
Objections to the Constitution: We the People with Dr. Scott Casper Pt. 10
What is the main objection to the Constitution?
The Anti-Federalists opposed the ratification of the 1787 U.S. Constitution because they feared that the new national government would be too powerful and thus threaten individual liberties, given the absence of a bill of rights.
What were the 3 major issues at the Constitution?
Debates erupted over representation in Congress, over slavery, and over the new executive branch.
What was one of the main reasons George Mason opposed the Constitution?
As a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Mason refused to sign the Constitution and lobbied against its ratification in his home state, believing the document as drafted gave too much power to a central government and was incomplete absent a bill of rights to guarantee individual liberty.
What is George Mason's famous quote?
We came equals into this world, and equals shall we go out of it.
What did Alexander Hamilton say about the Constitution?
The Document
Though different from his vision, Hamilton thought it "better than nothing," particularly when he compared it to the inadequate Articles of Confederation that were then in effect. He urged every delegate to sign the document.
What was the first main problem with the Constitution?
The Anti-Federalists fought hard against the Constitution because it created a powerful central government that reminded them of the one they had just overthrown, and it lacked a bill of rights.
Who is above the law in the United States?
One important value in American society is that everyone has equal justice under the law. Another important idea is the “rule of law.” The rule of law means that everyone must obey the law and no one is above the law. This means that the government and its leaders must also obey the law.
What was the Constitution's greatest flaw?
The Constitution's biggest flaw was in protecting the institution of slavery. Many constitutional provisions did this. Article 1, Section 9, prohibits Congress from banning the importation of slaves until 1808, and Article 5 prohibited this from being amended.
What was one of the major flaws of the Constitution?
It brilliantly articulated the idea of fundamental equality — human equality. It beautifully articulated the notion that government's power flows from the people, and that government serves the people. But it was fundamentally flawed in preserving and propping up slavery, that ultimate form of inequality.
Why did he oppose the Constitution?
In the ratification debate, the Anti-Federalists opposed to the Constitution. They complained that the new system threatened liberties, and failed to protect individual rights.
Which government has the power to tax?
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States; . . .
Why did George Mason object to the Constitution?
George Mason, author of the 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights, warned of the government's usurpation of liberties without specific protections in the Constitution. Some states, when ratifying the Constitution, included amendments specifying individual rights.
What is a famous Freemason quote?
The secret of Masonry, like the secret of life, can be known only by those who seek it, serve it, live it. It cannot be uttered; it can only be felt and acted. It is, in fact, an open secret, and each man knows it according to his quest and capacity.
What did George Mason strongly believe in?
A Jeffersonian Republican, he believed that local government should be kept strong and central government weak. His criticism helped bring about the adoption of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution. Soon after the Convention, Mason retired to his home, Gunston Hall.
How did George Mason feel about slaves?
And yet, Mason's writings reveal his intense dislike of the institution of slavery. He was outspoken and consistent in his disapproval.
What issue did the 9th Amendment ultimately remedy?
The Ninth Amendment clearly rebutted the possible presumption that enumeration of some rights precluded the recognition of others. By its terms, it provides that the enumeration of specific rights should not be “construed to deny or disparage” other rights.
Why did the New Constitution not abolish slavery?
The framers of the Constitution believed that concessions on slavery were the price for the support of southern delegates for a strong central government. They were convinced that if the Constitution restricted the slave trade, South Carolina and Georgia would refuse to join the Union.
Who is considered to be the father of the constitution?
James Madison - Father of the US Constitution.