Many of the Anti-Federalists would not accept the original Constitution because they felt it placed too much power in the hands of the central government. Some states felt that the Constitution needed some ratification to place limits on the government, so it could not infringe upon the people's rights.

The Constitution was accepted with the addition of ten amendments, which are called the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights was created to guarantee the people's individual freedoms and to prohibit the federal government from infringing upon the people.

The chart shown here shows the checks and balances and separation of powers established in the Constitution. Note how each branch places checks on the other.