Constitution DBQ Around the time of the ratification of the American Constitution, there were some American citizens that wanted the government to have more power, and there were others that thought the people should be in control of the government. These two groups called themselves Federalists and Anti-Federalists. The Federalists wanted more government power, and the Anti-Federalists did not. At the time the Constitution was created, the number of Anti- Federalists compared to Federalists was relatively the same (Doc A). Because of this, both opinions were well represented at the Constitutional Convention. When the constitution was ratified, in some ways it may have seemed that it was based mostly on the Federalists’ beliefs. However, it …show more content…
It would be unfair for the small states to be taxed as much as the large states. The constitution also claims that each state has to have at least one Representative in Congress, and there can be a maximum of one Representative for every 30,000 free people (Doc D). These rights are based on democratic views because if they had based the taxes and number of Representatives on the number of states, the rich and important people/states would have had all the power in the government. But with equal representation, the people would be able to help control the decisions made in Congress. The Constitution also gave the people the right to alter or abolish the Government’s decisions. The Government is run by the consent of the people. As long as the people base their ideas on good principles, it is their duty to help the country to have a government that will give the people safety and happiness (Doc C). The Constitution is giving the people the right to improve, change, or recreate the Government if it fails. Because the people have this privilege, they have power over the Government; therefore, this confirms that when the Constitution was ratified, there were some democratic ideas