what ideal did the antifederalists find the constitution lacked?

what ideal did the antifederalists find the constitution lacked?

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The Antifederalists found the Constitution lacking mainly in several ideals:

  1. They believed the Constitution consolidated too much power in a strong central government, which threatened the sovereignty of the states and individual liberties.
  2. They feared the creation of a powerful presidency that could become monarch-like.
  3. They were concerned the Constitution did not include a Bill of Rights to protect individual freedoms explicitly.
  4. They thought the government created by the Constitution would be too distant from the people and thus unresponsive to local needs.
  5. They worried about an overpowered national government that could impose oppressive taxes and diminish the authority and relevance of state governments.
  6. They feared the standing army under federal control could be used to oppress citizens.
  7. They were against the idea of a large republic, doubting its ability to represent the people's interests adequately.
  8. They advocated for a more decentralized government with greater protections for individual rights and stronger state authority.

In summary, the Antifederalists ideal was a government that preserved strong state sovereignty, explicit protections of individual rights via a Bill of Rights, a limited national government to avoid tyranny, and more direct responsiveness to the people rather than a powerful centralized authority.

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