federalists believed that a bill of rights was?
Geography · High School · Thu Feb 04 2021
Answered on
Federalists believed that a bill of rights was unnecessary and potentially harmful. They argued that since the federal government was already limited to the powers granted by the Constitution, there was no need for a specific list of protections for individual rights. Federalists contended that the Constitution itself was a bill of rights because it provided for a system of checks and balances and separation of powers, ensuring that no single branch of government could become too powerful. Moreover, they feared that by enumerating certain rights, it might imply that any unlisted rights were not protected. This was a primary contention during the ratification debates between Federalists, who supported the Constitution as is, and the Anti-Federalists, who called for the addition of a bill of rights.