Copy these on the top half of NB–46.
8.3 Study Questions 17–24
17.
18.
19.
20.
What were the Federalist
and Antifederalist positions
on states’ rights and a
strong central government?
What were The Federalist
papers?
How did the Federalists and
the Antifederalists try to
win support for their sides
in the debate over the
Constitution?
What advantage did
Federalists have over
Antifederalists in the debate
over ratification?
One–third
Allow three lines per
question!
Two–thirds
Copy these on the bottom half of NB-46.
21.
22.
23.
24.
Why did George Mason
and Patrick Henry
oppose the ratification
of the new
constitution?
What is the Bill of
Rights?
What was the
significance of the Bill
of Rights?
How is Jefferson’s
Statute for Religious
Freedom reflected in
the Bill of Rights?
One–third
Allow three lines per
question!
Two–thirds
Draw the following on NB p. 42.
Federalism – (allow 2 lines for a definition)
1. What were Federalists?
2. What were Antifederalists?
3. Who were the leading
Federalists?
4. Who were the leading Antifederalists?
5. What reasons did the Federalists give to defend their views
on ratification?
6. What reasons did the Antifederalists give to defend their
views on ratification?
Lesson 8.3: Ratifying the
Constitution
Today we will detail the major objections
some people had to the ratification of the
Constitution.
Today’s Vocabulary
• detail – to give descriptive facts
• ratify – to give support or approval for
someone else’s decision or action
• ratification – the process of getting
official public approval of a new law or
policy
• bill of rights – formal list of the basic
rights of the people
Check for Understanding
• What are we going to do today?
• Would you ratify your parents’ decision
to give you a new iPad?
• How would you express your
ratification of that decision?
What We Already Know
Delegates at the constitutional convention
hammered out a document that they
hoped would serve the country well.
What We Already Know
Two groups emerged during the convention:
Federalists who supported the Constitution and its
stronger central government, and the Antifederalists
who felt the Constitution took too much power from
the states and did not do enough to guarantee the
rights of American citizens.
What We Already Know
The Federalists and the
Antifederalists waged a
war of words in every
state in an attempt to
win public support for
their point of view on
the new constitution.
B tell A
• What two groups fought over
ratification of the Constitution?
• Be sure to re-state the question
in your response!
The Battle for Ratification
• There was strong
opposition to
ratification in
Massachusetts, North
Carolina, Rhode
Island, New York, and
Virginia.
• If some of these states
failed to ratify the
Constitution, the
United States might
not survive.
States began to
vote on the new
Constitution.
• By June 1788, enough
states had voted in favor,
and the Constitution was
ratified.
• Virginia, the largest state,
had still not ratified it yet,
however.
Virginians Patrick Henry
and George Mason
refused to support the
Constitution until a bill
of rights was added.
James Madison
convinced his fellow
Virginians to ratify the
Constitution by
George
promising
to
see
to
it
Mason
that a bill of rights
would be added later.
Patrick
Eventually, all thirteen states
Henry
ratified the Constitution.
Get your whiteboards
and markers ready!
21. Why did George Mason and Patrick
Henry oppose the ratification of the
Constitution?
A.
B.
C.
D.
It did nothing to protect slavery.
It did not contain a bill of rights.
It gave too much power to the states.
They were angry about not being
invited to the Annapolis Convention.
George Mason
Patrick Henry
A tell B
• How did James Madison convince
his fellow Virginians to support
ratification?
• Be sure to re-state the question in
your response!
Madison helped win ratification.
• At Virginia’s convention,
James Madison suggested
that Virginia ratify the
Constitution, and he
promised to support the
addition of a bill of rights.
• The news of Virginia’s vote
convinced New York to join
the Union, also calling for a
bill of rights.
Madison helped win ratification.
• By 1790 North Carolina and Rhode Island
ratified the Constitution.
• By then, the new Congress had already
written a bill of rights and submitted it to
the states for approval.
The Bill of Rights
• At the same time that seven of the states
ratified the Constitution, they asked that it
be amended to include a bill of rights.
• Supporters of a bill of rights hoped that it
would set forth the rights of all Americans.
• They believed it was needed to protect
people against the power of the national
government.
The Bill of Rights
• Madison, who was elected to the new Congress in
the winter of 1789, took up the cause.
• He proposed a set of changes to the Constitution,
and he started with freedom of religion.
• In the very first amendment, Madison addressed
the issue of religious freedom.
Get your whiteboards
and markers ready!
22. What is the Bill of Rights?
A. It is the first part of the Constitution.
B. It protects the rights of states under
the federal government.
C. It is a name for the first ten
amendments to the Constitution.
D. It protects the exact same set of
freedoms as the English Bill of Rights.
23. What was the significance of
the Bill of Rights?
A. It was the key to getting enough
support to ensure ratification of the
Constitution.
B. James Madison first gained national
attention by writing them.
C. Opposition to it made friends of
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.
D. It was the first set of changes made to
the Articles of Confederation.
Freedom of Religion
• Both Jefferson and Madison were strong
supporters of freedom of religion.
• Jefferson’s Statute for Religious Freedom
had made religious freedom a right for all
Virginians since 1786.
Freedom of Religion
• The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
assured that “no man shall be compelled to
frequent or support any religious worship,
place or ministry whatsoever,” and that “all
men shall be free to profess, and by
argument to maintain, their opinion in
matters of religion.”
• Madison’s First Amendment says that
“Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof.”
A tell B
• What is one of your rights under the
Constitution’s Bill of Rights?
• Be sure to re-state the question!
Patrick Henry was not in favor of
separation of church and state.
• He was opposed to Jefferson's Statute for
Religious Freedom, which Virginia had passed
in 1786.
• While granting complete religious freedom to
all Virginians, it also banned tax support for
any religious group.
• Although strongly committed to religious
freedom, Henry opposed Jefferson’s plan of
total separation of church and state, and
instead favored tax support of all recognized
religious groups.
The Bill of Rights
• Eventually, Congress edited Madison’s list
and proposed placing the amendments at the
end of the Constitution in a separate section.
• The amendments went to the states for
ratification.
B tell A
• What leading Virginian was opposed to
the separation of church and state?
• Be sure to re-state the question!
Get your whiteboards
and markers ready!
24. How is Jefferson’s Statute for Religious
Freedom reflected in the Bill of Rights?
It served as the basis for
A. the Great Compromise.
B. the First Amendment.
C. the Federalist Papers.
D. the Articles of
Confederation.
Federalists or Antifederalists?
Feared a strong executive might become a tyrant
Federalists
Antifederalists
Feared a strong executive
might become a tyrant
Federalists or Antifederalists?
Wanted a bill of rights added to the Constitution
Federalists
Antifederalists
Feared a strong executive
might become a tyrant
Wanted a bill of rights
added to the Constitution
Federalists or Antifederalists?
Wanted one person as head of the executive branch
Federalists
Wanted one person as
head of the executive
branch
Antifederalists
Feared a strong executive
might become a tyrant
Wanted a bill of rights
added to the Constitution
Federalists or Antifederalists?
Wanted the legislative branch to have most power
Federalists
Wanted one person as
head of the executive
branch
Antifederalists
Feared a strong executive
might become a tyrant
Wanted a bill of rights
added to the Constitution
Wanted the legislative
branch to have most power
Federalists or Antifederalists?
Wanted the states to have less power
Federalists
Wanted one person as
head of the executive
branch
Wanted the states to have
less power
Antifederalists
Feared a strong executive
might become a tyrant
Wanted a bill of rights
added to the Constitution
Wanted the legislative
branch to have most power
Federalists or Antifederalists?
Wanted a stronger national government
Federalists
Wanted one person as
head of the executive
branch
Wanted the states to have
less power
Wanted a stronger national
government
Antifederalists
Feared a strong executive
might become a tyrant
Wanted a bill of rights
added to the Constitution
Wanted the legislative
branch to have most power
Federalists or Antifederalists?
Favored a government with three branches
Federalists
Wanted one person as
head of the executive
branch
Wanted the states to have
less power
Wanted a stronger national
government
Favored a government with
three branches
Antifederalists
Feared a strong executive
might become a tyrant
Wanted a bill of rights
added to the Constitution
Wanted the legislative
branch to have most power
Federalists or Antifederalists?
Wanted states to have the most political power
Federalists
Wanted one person as
head of the executive
branch
Wanted the states to have
less power
Wanted a stronger national
government
Favored a government with
three branches
Antifederalists
Feared a strong executive
might become a tyrant
Wanted a bill of rights
added to the Constitution
Wanted the legislative
branch to have most power
Wanted states to have the
most political power
What was the best Antifederalist
argument for the new Constitution?
Antifederalists
A
A strong executive might
become a tyrant.
B
There was no bill of rights
in the Constitution.
The legislative branch
C
should have the most
power.
Most political power should
D
be left to the states.
What was the best Federalist
argument for the new Constitution?
Federalists
A
One person needed to lead
the executive branch.
B
The states should have
less power.
C
A stronger national
government is needed.
D
The government should
have three branches.