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Anti-Federalists feared that the Constitution would overly centralize government and diminish individual rights and liberties. They sought to amend the Constitution, particularly with a Bill Of Rights as a condition before ratification. Federalists insisted that the document had to be accepted or rejected as written.

When efforts to ratify the Constitution encountered serious opposition in Massachusetts two noted anti-Federalists, John Hancock and Samuel Adams helped negotiate a compromise. The anti-Federalists agreed to support ratification of the constitution, with recommendations for amendments should the document go into effect. The Federalists agreed to support the proposed amendments, specifically a bill of rights.

Following this compromise, Massachusetts voted to ratify the Constitution on February 6 , 1788 . Five states subsequently voted for ratification, four of which followed the Massachusetts model of recommending amendments along with their ratification.