Which group of people supported the bill of rights?

Asked by: Annabel Hickle  |  Last update: September 1, 2025
Score: 4.8/5 (34 votes)

A critical minority, referred to as Anti-Federalists, insisted upon the addition of a bill of rights that would protect the rights of individual citizens, and demanded a new look at some of the Constitution's specific provisions.

Which group supported the Bill of Rights?

The group that strongly supported the addition of the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution was the Anti-Federalists. After the Constitution was drafted in 1787, many Americans were concerned that it centralized too much power in the federal government and lacked protections for individual liberties.

What group of people most wanted the Bill of Rights?

The Anti-Federalists were people who supported strong state governments and were against a strong federal, or national, government. The Anti-Federalists wanted the Constitution of 1787 defeated. The Anti-Federalists' main way to defeat the Constitution was to talk about the lack of a Bill of Rights.

Who supported the Bill of Rights?

Anti-Federalists wanted power to remain with state and local governments and favored a bill of rights to safeguard individual liberty. Madison, then a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, altered the Constitution's text where he thought appropriate.

Which group largely supported the Bill of Rights?

Anti-Federalists pressured for adoption of Bill of Rights

Moreover, Anti-Federalists, most notably Patrick Henry, acceded to the Convention and sought legal means of change once the document had been ratified because they believed that it had been properly ratified.

A 3-minute guide to the Bill of Rights - Belinda Stutzman

42 related questions found

Who supported the main ideas in the Bill of Rights?

Final answer:

The correct answer is John Locke, as his philosophical ideas about natural rights and government by consent significantly influenced the ideas enshrined in the Bill of Rights. Locke advocated for the protection of life, liberty, and property, aligning with the Bill of Rights' focus on individual freedoms.

Who were the strongest supporters of the Bill of Rights?

The Anti-Federalists, including Thomas Jefferson, were the strongest supporters of adding a bill of rights to the Constitution during the founding era. They believed it was necessary to protect individual rights from potential government abuses.

Who was the biggest supporter of the Bill of Rights?

Even James Madison, the Bill of Rights' greatest advocate, had first proposed them to appease members of the opposition; North Carolina and Rhode Island were not yet part of the Union, and he hoped that amendments would bring them into the fold.

Did federalists support the Bill of right?

Federalists rejected the proposition that a bill of rights was needed. They made a clear distinction between the state constitutions and the U.S. Constitution.

Who help with the Bill of Rights?

Who wrote the Bill of Rights? After the Constitution was ratified in 1788, James Madison, who had already helped draft much of the original Constitution, took up the task of drafting a bill of rights.

Which group didn t want a Bill of Rights?

When the Constitution was sent to the state conventions for ratification, the Anti-Federalists who were opposed to it agreed on the need for a bill of rights to protect the liberties of the people. Several Federalists, or those who supported the new Constitution, disagreed.

What people fought for the Bill of Rights?

Although the need for a bill of rights was advocated by George Mason, Madison also contributed to the Constitution by writing the first 10 amendments that were adopted by the first Congress.

Who did not like the Bill of Rights?

Federalists opposed the inclusion of a bill of rights as unnecessary. The Constitution's first draft established a system of checks and balances that included a strong executive branch, a representative legislature, and a federal judiciary—specifying what the government could do but not what it could not do.

Which of the following groups wanted a Bill of Rights quizlet?

Anti-Federalists were also concerned that the Constitution lacked a specific listing of rights. They believed that a bill of rights was essential to protect the people from the federal government. The Anti-Federalists did not want a powerful national government taking away those rights.

What did Anti-Federalists believe?

Main beliefs

They advocated for a more decentralized form of government with greater protections for individual rights and stronger representation for the states. Principally, they were afraid that the national government would be too robust and would, thus, threaten states and individual rights.

Who influenced the U.S. Constitution?

The influence of Montesquieu, Locke, Edward Coke and William Blackstone were evident at the Constitutional Convention. Prior to and during the framing and signing of the Constitution, Blackstone, Hume, Locke and Montesquieu were among the political philosophers most frequently referred to.

Who supported the Bill of Right?

Although many Federalists initially opposed such a bill on the basis that it was unnecessary because the Constitution had not entrusted powers to violate such rights to the three branches, to ensure ratification of the document, key Federalists, including James Madison, agreed to support such a bill of rights once the ...

Did Hamilton support the bill of rights?

Some Founding Fathers, most famously Alexander Hamilton, argued that it was not necessary to include a bill of rights in the Constitution. "the constitution is itself in every rational sense, and to every useful purpose, A BILL OF RIGHTS.

Was Patrick Henry Anti-Federalist?

After the war Henry championed the cause of states' rights and lobbied unsuccessfully against the ratification of the United States Constitution. A staunch Anti-Federalist, he turned down George Washington's offer to become Secretary of State because of the President's strong Federalist leanings.

Which group favored the Bill of Rights?

The Constitution was ratified, but some reservations surfaced about its content. A critical minority, referred to as Anti-Federalists, insisted upon the addition of a bill of rights that would protect the rights of individual citizens, and demanded a new look at some of the Constitution's specific provisions.

Which group strongly supported the Bill of Rights?

Explanation: The Anti-Federalists strongly supported the addition of the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution. The Anti-Federalists were a group of individuals who opposed the ratification of the Constitution because they believed it did not do enough to protect individual rights and liberties.

Who argued in favor of a Bill of Rights?

So, the Constitution's framers heeded Thomas Jefferson who argued: "A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth, general or particular, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference."

What did the 14th amendment say?

No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Who supported the Constitution the most?

No one was better prepared to defend the Constitution than New Yorker Alexander Hamilton. In 1787-88 he worked with John Jay and James Madison to write series of 85 essays in support of the Constitution.

Which founding fathers supported the Bill of Rights?

Jefferson, George Mason, and the other Founders frequently spoke of the same set of rights as being natural and unalienable.