Who would oppose the Bill of Rights?

Asked by: Miss Annette Ebert  |  Last update: March 21, 2025
Score: 4.1/5 (24 votes)

The birth of the Bill of Rights was controversial: Anti-Federalists demanded a concise constitution, which clearly delineated the people's rights and the limitations of the power of government. Federalists opposed the inclusion of a bill of rights as unnecessary.

Who were the opposing sides to the Bill of Rights?

Antifederalists argued that a bill of rights was necessary because, the supremacy clause in combination with the necessary and proper and general welfare clauses would allow implied powers that could endanger rights. Federalists rejected the proposition that a bill of rights was needed.

Which group was against the Bill of Rights?

The Federalists felt a Bill of Rights was unnecessary. They said since the new Constitution limited the power of the government and since the people kept control of everything they did not say the government could do, no bill of individual rights was needed.

Why are people against the Bill of Rights?

Some said a bill of rights would not guarantee but restrict freedoms—that a list of specific rights would imply that they were granted by the government rather than inherent in nature.

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.

Why wasn’t the Bill of Rights originally in the US Constitution? - James Coll

31 related questions found

Who oppose 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.

Who was against the civil rights bill?

Strong opposition to the bill also came from Senator Strom Thurmond, who was still a Democrat at the time: "This so-called Civil Rights Proposals [sic], which the President has sent to Capitol Hill for enactment into law, are unconstitutional, unnecessary, unwise and extend beyond the realm of reason.

What is the opposite of a federalist?

The Anti-Federalists believed that the Constitution, as drafted, would lead to a loss of individual liberties, an erosion of state sovereignty, and the potential for the rise of tyranny.

Was the Bill of Rights unnecessary and he opposed it?

James Madison and other supporters of the Constitution argued that a bill of rights wasn't necessary because - “the government can only exert the powers specified by the Constitution.” But they agreed to consider adding amendments when ratification was in danger in the key state of Massachusetts.

What would the country be like without the Bill of Rights?

Without the Bill of Rights, Americans couldn't express themselves, stand up for their rights, and America would turn into a dystopian society. Without the Bill of Rights, we wouldn't be able to express ourselves and show who we really are. We wouldn't be able to stand up for ourselves in life and during court.

Why didn't the federalists want a Bill of Rights?

Therefore, Federalists argued, a bill of rights was not only unnecessary, but might even be dangerous. Unnecessary, because the new federal government could in no way endanger the freedom of the press or religion, for instance, since it was given no constitutional power to regulate either.

Who was fighting for 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.

Which states opposed the Bill of Rights?

Two states, North Carolina and Rhode Island, refused to ratify the new plan of government. Those who opposed the adoption of the Constitution were known as the Antifederalists. Many feared centralized power.

What are two ways the Bill of Rights opposes?

Answer and Explanation: The English Bill of Rights opposed the divine right of kings, by making monarchs subject to a kind of check and balances by Parliament which limited their power, and by removing the monarch as head of the church and making religion non-political.

What do Federalists believe?

The Federalists called for a strong national government that promoted economic growth and fostered friendly relationships with Great Britain in opposition to Revolutionary France.

Did Franklin oppose the Bill of Rights?

Benjamin Franklin: Franklin was a printer, scholar, philosopher, inventor, philanthropist, and Founding Father. He was a co-signer of the Bill of Rights.

Who would oppose the Bill of Rights and why?

In contrast, Federalists opposed any change to the Constitution. They pointed out that the government had not existed long enough to know its flaws (Jackson, address to Congress, 8 June 1789), and contended that enumerated rights were unnecessary for a democratic republic.

Who rejected the Bill of Rights?

When the Constitution was drafted in 1787, every state delegation in attendance rejected a Bill of Rights, saying it was unnecessary. Led by James Madison, the first Congress reversed course when it became clear that the new Constitution provoked broad public suspicion.

Who believed the Bill of Rights was unnecessary?

Federalists believed that the Constitution already ensured individual rights to the citizens and the creation of a “Bill of Rights” was unnecessary.

What are the arguments against the Bill of Rights?

It was dangerous because any listing of rights could potentially be interpreted as exhaustive. Rights omitted could be considered as not retained. Finally, Federalists believed that bills of rights in history had been nothing more than paper protections, useless when they were most needed.

Why wasn't the Bill of Rights originally in the U.S. Constitution?

The Federalists opposed including a bill of rights on the ground that it was unnecessary. The Anti-Federalists, who were afraid of a strong centralized government, refused to support the Constitution without one.

Why did the Federalist Paper fail?

These delegates refused to ratify the document unless it was amended by a Bill of Rights. Thus, the authors of The Federalist failed in their original objective.

Did Democrats oppose the Civil Rights Act?

At the time, a two-thirds vote, or sixty-seven senators, was required to invoke cloture and cut off debate in the Senate. Since southern Democrats opposed the legislation, votes from a substantial number of senators in the Republican minority would be needed to end the filibuster.

Who opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1957?

Thurmond focused on a particular provision in the bill that dealt with certain court cases, but opposed the entirety of the bill. Thurmond, an ardent segregationist, had served in the Senate for only three years before the speech, but was politically well-known even before his election to the body.

How many Democrats voted for the 14th Amendment?

Answer and Explanation: No Democrats in Congress voted for the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War, the Democrats were primarily the part of the Southern states and strictly opposed equal rights and guaranteed citizenship for the newly freed slaves.