Back to Foundations of American Democracy

Lesson PreviewLesson 3 of 9 in this unit

1.3 Government Power and Individual Rights

Part of Foundations of American Democracy in AP® US Government & Politics. Read the opening section, then create a free account for the full interactive lesson, practice, and progress tracking.

Start free

The ratification debate over the Constitution centered on disagreements about the proper balance between national power and individual liberty. Federalists supported ratification, arguing that a stronger central government was necessary to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. They believed that divided power and representative institutions would prevent tyranny while enabling effective governance.

In this unit

9 lessons

  1. 1.1Ideals of DemocracyPreview lesson
  2. 1.2Types of DemocracyPreview lesson
  3. 1.3Government Power and Individual RightsThis lesson
  4. 1.4Challenges of the Articles of ConfederationPreview lesson
  5. 1.5Ratification of the U.S. ConstitutionPreview lesson
  6. 1.6Principles of American GovernmentPreview lesson
  7. 1.7Relationship between the States and National GovernmentPreview lesson
  8. 1.8Constitutional Interpretations of FederalismPreview lesson
  9. 1.9Federalism in ActionPreview lesson

Continue the full lesson in Stellar

Create a free account to unlock the remaining sections, checkpoints, course practice, and progress tracking for AP® US Government & Politics.

Start free