Answer Close-Reading Questions
Have students write their responses, or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.
• What was the Articles of Confederation? How did it make the country disorganized? (Key Details)
It was the first U.S. constitution. It made the country disorganized because it gave the individual states nearly complete power. The federal government was so weak that it couldn’t even enforce laws.
• Describe the main clash between the Federalists and the Antifederalists. (Central Ideas)
The main clash was about how strong the federal government should be. Federalists thought the federal government should have more power than the states. They supported the Constitution. Antifederalists thought most power should remain with the states. They did not support the Constitution.
• How did the Bill of Rights become part of the Constitution? (Analyzing Events)
George Mason, an Antifederalist from Virginia, proposed adding a Bill of Rights during the Constitutional Convention. Other delegates rejected the idea, and the Constitution went on to be ratified without it. However, the first Congress agreed that individual freedoms needed protection. Those protections were added in 1791 as the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution.