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Difficulty: HardThe Constitutional Convention and Ratification Debates

Read the following excerpt from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to James Madison in December 1787:

"I will now add what I do not like [about the proposed Constitution]. First the omission of a bill of rights providing clearly... for freedom of religion, freedom of the press, protection against standing armies, restriction against monopolies, and the eternal and unremitting force of the habeas corpus laws... The second feature I dislike, and greatly dislike, is the abandonment in every instance of the necessity of rotation in office, and most particularly in the case of the President. Experience concurs with reason in declaring that the first magistrate, once placed at the head of the military force and of the finances of the nation, can always re-elect himself..."

Which of the following concerns debated during the ratification of the Constitution is most directly reflected in the warning about the lack of a "necessity of rotation in office"?

  1. The apprehension among critics that the newly created presidency would gradually accumulate excessive power and resemble a monarchy.Answer
  2. B
    The belief that executive power should be vested in a decentralized committee to preserve the governance structure of the Articles of Confederation.
  3. C
    The advocacy for a strict constructionist view of federal authority to prevent the executive from establishing a national bank.
  4. D
    The insistence that all federal revenue-raising legislation originate within the states to resolve historical grievances over taxation.

Answer

The apprehension among critics that the newly created presidency would gradually accumulate excessive power and resemble a monarchy.
The correct answer is correct because Anti-Federalists and other critics of the proposed Constitution feared that the absence of mandatory rotation in office for the president would allow an ambitious leader to continuously secure re-election, effectively establishing a monarchy or life-term dictatorship.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus document to identify the specific objection raised.
The author objects to the omission of a bill of rights and the 'abandonment in every instance of the necessity of rotation in office' for the President.
Understanding the core argument of the letter is required to link it to the correct historical debate.
2
Contextualize the objection within the debates of the Constitutional Convention and ratification era.
The lack of term limits in the original Constitution sparked fears of an executive power grab, with critics warning that a president could continuously win re-election and establish a functional monarchy.
This links the specific text ('first magistrate... can always re-elect himself') to the broader debate over executive authority vs. republican liberty.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one that accurately aligns with the presidential term limits debate and discard the historical distractors.
The correct option matches the fear of monarchical executive power, while the others represent post-ratification partisan conflicts, misunderstandings of the Articles of Confederation, or unrelated procedures.
Ensures the correct answer is selected based on chronology and conceptual alignment.

Key Concept

The debates between Federalists and Anti-Federalists over the scope of executive power and the risk of tyranny under the proposed Constitution.
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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Topics

The Constitutional Convention and Ratification Debates

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