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Question
"In a free republic, although all laws are derived from the consent of the people, yet the people do not declare their consent by themselves in person, but by representatives, chosen by them, who are supposed to know the minds of their constituents, and to be possessed of integrity to declare this mind...Now, in a large extended country, it is impossible to have a representation, possessing the sentiments, and of integrity, to declare the minds of the people"
- excerpt from "Brutus No. 1" written in 1787
Based on the quote seen here and your understanding of the Anti-Federalists' view of government, which statement BEST describes the concerns of the Anti-Federalists?
Responses
A People do not have any voice in a representative government.People do not have any voice in a representative government.
B The United States was too big for representatives to effectively speak for the people.The United States was too big for representatives to effectively speak for the people.
C A lack of integrity at the federal level was going to undermine any large political structure.A lack of integrity at the federal level was going to undermine any large political structure.
D States were not capable of governing themselves and therefore needed representatives at the federal level.
B The United States was too big for representatives to effectively speak for the people.
The concerns of the Anti-Federalists, based on the quote and their view of government, can be best described as: B) The United States was too big for representatives to effectively speak for the people.
To determine the concerns of the Anti-Federalists based on the given quote, we need to analyze the text and infer their views. The quote highlights the idea that in a free republic, the people do not personally declare their consent for laws, but rather rely on representatives chosen by them. It also suggests that in a large, extended country, it becomes impossible to have representatives who truly understand the sentiments and values of the people.
By looking at these points, it can be inferred that the Anti-Federalists were concerned about the United States being too big for representatives to effectively represent the people. This aligns with statement B: "The United States was too big for representatives to effectively speak for the people."
Therefore, the statement B best describes the concerns of the Anti-Federalists.