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Difficulty: HardStructure and Core Principles of the U.S. Constitution

"The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce... The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State."

— James Madison, Federalist No. 45, 1788

Which of the following arguments from the debates over ratification is Madison directly addressing in this excerpt?

  1. The Anti-Federalist claim that the proposed Constitution would establish a consolidated national government that would eventually strip the states of their sovereign authority.Answer
  2. B
    The assertion that the new government under the Constitution would suffer from the same weak centralized authority that characterized the Articles of Confederation.
  3. C
    The argument that the federal government could use a loose construction of the Constitution to establish a national bank and assume state debts.
  4. D
    The claim that the Constitution failed to give the national executive enough power to suppress domestic rebellions.

Answer

The Anti-Federalist claim that the proposed Constitution would establish a consolidated national government that would eventually strip the states of their sovereign authority.
The correct answer is correct because Madison's defense of federalism in Federalist No. 45 aims to ease the Anti-Federalist concern that the Constitution would create a consolidated national government that would destroy state power. By specifying that federal powers are 'few and defined' while state powers are 'numerous and indefinite,' Madison reassures citizens that the states will remain powerful and essential components of the system.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus text to identify its primary argument.
Madison argues that the powers of the federal government under the Constitution are limited and specific ('few and defined'), while the states retain a broad, general power over daily life and local affairs ('numerous and indefinite').
This establishes that the text is a defense of the constitutional division of power (federalism) against accusations of overreach.
2
Contextualize the text within the ratification debates of 1787–1788.
The main opposition to the Constitution came from Anti-Federalists, who argued that a strong central government would inevitably lead to consolidation and the destruction of state sovereignty.
This allows us to identify the specific counterargument Madison is offering to quiet the fears of ratification opponents.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the argument that Madison is directly refuting.
Madison's emphasis on the limited nature of federal power and the vastness of state power directly refutes the claim that the Constitution would establish a consolidated national government that strips states of their authority.
This aligns the prompt's historical evidence directly with the correct answer.

Key Concept

Structure and Core Principles of the U.S. Constitution
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Topics

Structure and Core Principles of the U.S. Constitution

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