Final answer:
American citizens were concerned about the powerful federal government outlined in the Constitution potentially infringing upon individual rights. The addition of the Bill of Rights addressed these concerns by promising protections for these rights, thus enabling the ratification of the Constitution by all states.
Step-by-step explanation:
The ratification of the Constitution in 1787 was met with concern by many American citizens for several reasons. A primary fear was that the new federal government would be too powerful and would infringe upon the rights and liberties of individuals. Antifederalists were especially vocal about this, with figures like Patrick Henry and George Mason campaigning against ratification due to issues such as the lack of a bill of rights and the potential for a tyrannical central government.
The Federalists, who supported ratification, managed to partly overcome this opposition by promising to consider amendments immediately after the Constitution's ratification, which would include protections for individual rights. This led to the drafting of the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which assured citizens that their fundamental freedoms would not be violated by the government. Ensuring the addition of these amendments was critical in securing the support of several key states, and eventually led to all states ratifying the Constitution.
Despite the agreement on amendments, the Antifederalists still had lingering concerns about aspects of the Constitution such as the judiciary and direct taxation. However, the passing of the Bill of Rights alleviated enough concerns that even the most hesitant states, North Carolina and Rhode Island, agreed to ratify the Constitution, allowing the new federal government to move forward with organizing the executive and judicial branches.