A collection of writings that opposed the creation of a stronger U.S. federal government.

A collection of writings that opposed the creation of a stronger U.S. federal government.

• A. Federalist Papers
• B. Magna Carta
• C. Consent of the Governed
• D. Anti-Federalist Papers

Answer: (D)

These writings were a collection of essays and pamphlets arguing against expanding the national government’s power in the new U.S. Constitution. During the late 1780s, as delegates debated ratification, these authors warned that a strong central government could threaten individual liberties and state sovereignty. They pressed for explicit protections for rights and for limits on federal authority, which eventually helped lead to the inclusion of the Bill of Rights. That critical position is what makes them the Anti-Federalist Papers: they opposed a stronger federal government. By contrast, the Federalist Papers argued in favor of a stronger national government; the Magna Carta is a medieval document about limiting a monarch’s power, and Consent of the Governed is a principle about political legitimacy rather than a specific set of writings from that era.

These writings were a collection of essays and pamphlets arguing against expanding the national government’s power in the new U.S. Constitution. During the late 1780s, as delegates debated ratification, these authors warned that a strong central government could threaten individual liberties and state sovereignty. They pressed for explicit protections for rights and for limits on federal authority, which eventually helped lead to the inclusion of the Bill of Rights. That critical position is what makes them the Anti-Federalist Papers: they opposed a stronger federal government. By contrast, the Federalist Papers argued in favor of a stronger national government; the Magna Carta is a medieval document about limiting a monarch’s power, and Consent of the Governed is a principle about political legitimacy rather than a specific set of writings from that era.