“the anti-federalists charged that the authors of the constitution had failed to put up strong enough barriers to block this inevitably corrupting and tyrannical force. they painted a very black picture indeed of what the national representatives might and probably would do with the unchecked power conferred upon them under the provisions of the new but [the anti-federalists] lacked both the faith and the vision to extend their principles nationwide.”

cecelia m. kenyon, historian, “men of little faith: the anti-federalists on the nature of representative government,” 1955

the anti-federalists’ view of government power during the 1780s, as described in the excerpt, is best reflected by which of the following?

debates about the incorporation of new territories into the united states

a

the expansion of women’s political roles as a result of the ideas of republican motherhood

b

the existence of many state constitutions that limited executive authority

c

the shift from emphasizing inherited wealth and status to emphasizing individual merit