Why was the Bill of Rights added to the U.S. Constitution?(1 point)
Responses
to give citizens rights from the federal government
to give citizens rights from the federal government
to force the southern states to sign the Constitution that gave some rights to slaves
to force the southern states to sign the Constitution that gave some rights to slaves
to keep the state governments from taking away citizens' rights
to keep the state governments from taking away citizens' rights
to calm the fears that the new federal government would violate states' rights or people's rights
to calm the fears that the new federal government would violate states' rights or people's rights
The Bill of Rights was added to the U.S. Constitution primarily to calm the fears that the new federal government would violate states' rights or people's rights.
The correct answer is "to calm the fears that the new federal government would violate states' rights or people's rights." The Bill of Rights was added to the U.S. Constitution in order to address the concerns of those who worried that the federal government could potentially infringe upon the rights of states and individuals. It was meant to provide explicit protections for certain individual liberties and to limit the power of the government.
To arrive at this answer, one should consider the historical context surrounding the drafting and ratification of the U.S. Constitution. During the ratification process, many Anti-Federalists expressed concerns that the new Constitution did not contain sufficient safeguards for individual and state rights. To appease these concerns and ensure the ratification of the Constitution, the Framers agreed to add a set of amendments known as the Bill of Rights. These amendments explicitly protected various rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and the right to bear arms, among others. Moreover, the Bill of Rights clarified that powers not specifically granted to the federal government were reserved for the states and the people, further protecting their rights.