Social Science Models

Washington's Presidency: Materials

The new Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation and established a much stronger federal government. However, the Constitution had faced opposition from Anti-Federalists who feared that the new government it created would infringe upon citizens' liberties. In order to ease the fears of Anti-Federalists, supporters proposed amending the Constitution so that it listed individuals' rights. Some radical Anti-Federalists opposed this idea. They argued that the natural rights of men should not have to be listed in order to be protected. They worried that by listing certain rights, they lost all claim to other rights not listed. The Ninth and Tenth Amendments were created to protect those rights not listed and to reserve all powers not specifically given to the national government to the states and the people. In the end, ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were added to the Constitution.