Final answer:
Anti-Federalists supported the statement because they believed in the protection of individual rights and the limitation of government power.
Step-by-step explanation:
Anti-Federalists supported the statement 'I had rather be a free citizen of the small republic of Virginia, than an oppressed subject of the great American empire' because they believed that a smaller republic would better protect individual rights and prevent the concentration of power in a central government. They feared that a large federal republic, as proposed by the Constitution, would lead to the oppression of ordinary citizens and the neglect of their needs. Anti-Federalists also argued for the inclusion of a Bill of Rights to safeguard individual liberties and limit government power.