Final answer:
Supporters of the Constitution were known as Federalists, who sought to establish a stronger central government and believed this would benefit the nation's defense and economic growth. The correct answer is option b.
Step-by-step explanation:
Supporters of the Constitution during the ratification period were known as Federalists. The name Federalists was strategically chosen to appeal to the American populace who valued a loose, decentralized form of governance, even though the Federalists supported a stronger central government. The opposing group, the Anti-Federalists, unfortunately picked a name that suggested they were against federalism. In actuality, the Anti-Federalists supported a more distributed government model, resisting the concentration of power at the national level. By leveraging the term Federalists, supporters of the Constitution aimed to frame the debate in terms that would garner support.
The Federalists were generally composed of the elite members of society, such as wealthy landowners, businessmen, and former military officials who believed in the benefits of a strong central government for national defense and economic growth. On the other hand, the Anti-Federalists feared that such centralization would lead to a loss of personal liberties and the overreach of government power akin to the British monarchy that the colonies had fought against in the American Revolution.
Hence, the correct option for the name of supporters of the Constitution is b. Federalists.