We the People Reading Assignment: Anti-Federalist Position 1. Why do you think Madison suggested having the Constitution ratified by the people in special conventions instead of by state legislatures? As a Federalist, Madison knew that the state legislators would vote against ratifying the Constitution because it would lessen the states’ powers with a stronger national government. As a result, Madison suggested special conventions to prevent this from happening. 2. What objections to the Constitution were held by such Anti-Federalists as Mercy Otis Warren? Anti-Federalists thought that a House of Representatives was not sufficient for the representation of everyone. A government operating at a distance meant that the people can’t keep track of …show more content…
This is because they wrote it to prevent people from taking away property, such as slaves. Furthermore, through their system of government, the elite would have the bigger role. 11. What process did the Philadelphia Convention devise for ratifying the Constitution and why? The Convention devised ratification through state legislatures to make it more likely for the Federalists to win. Otherwise, state legislatures would vote against the Constitution because they wouldn’t want to lose their power. 12. Why did many of the writers in the debates over the Constitution use pseudonyms? The writers used pseudonyms to prevent people from judging the arguments based on the writer’s reputation. 13. What philosophical ideas guided the Anti-Federalists’ opposition to a stronger national government? How did those ideas lead them toward specific objections to the Constitution? The Anti-Federalists thought that one specific set of rules for the whole population would not fully represent everyone’s rights. Furthermore, the Anti-Federalists thought that if a government took place far from the people, they would no longer represent