Which group was primarily concerned with the lack of a bill of rights?

• A. Federalists
• B. Anti-Federalists
• C. Constitutionalists
• D. Nationalists

Answer: (B)

The group primarily concerned with the lack of a bill of rights was the Anti-Federalists. They believed that the absence of a specific enumeration of individual liberties in the original Constitution could leave citizens vulnerable to government overreach and tyranny. The Anti-Federalists argued strongly for the inclusion of a bill of rights as essential to protect personal freedoms and limit governmental power. Their advocacy played a significant role in the eventual adoption of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, which explicitly guarantees fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press.

The Federalists, in contrast, argued that a bill of rights was unnecessary because the Constitution already limited the powers of the federal government. Constitutionalists are not a formally recognized group in the context of this debate, and while Nationalists might have focused on a strong central government, they did not specifically advocate for individual rights in the manner that the Anti-Federalists did. Thus, the emphasis on protecting personal freedoms by the Anti-Federalists clearly positions them as the primary advocates for a bill of rights.