The
Struggle for
Ratification
5.2
Objectives
● Identify the views of the Federalists and AntiFederalists
● Explore the roles of the Federalists Papers in
the debate over the Constitution
● Learn the outcome of the struggle over
ratification
To go into full effect, the Constitution had to be ratified, or
approved, by at least nine state conventions (9/13 or about
70%). Only those states who that ratified the new Constitution
would be a part of the new nation.
While all discussions had been secret during the Constitutional
Convention, the issues were now out in the OPEN. When the
Constitution was published in newspapers, a storm of debate
arose. People argued in churches, meetinghouses, and town
squares.
Some strongly supported the plan while others loudly opposed it.
These are their stories.
Federalists VS Anti Federalists
Federalists were the supporters of
the Constitution, because they
supported a strong federal, or
national, government.
● Individual states might not be
able to protect themselves
against strong nations
● Strong govt can… maintain
order, regulate trade, ensure the
nation’s debts were paid, etc.
Anti-federalists were the opponents of the
Constitution. They feared that a strong
central government would endanger the
people’s liberties and freedoms.
● Central govt that met so far away
from local communities could not
truly be called a govt by consent of
the people
● Laws “necessary and proper” =
potential nightmare
● Demanded a Bill of Rights
Laws “Necessary and Proper”
❖ A part of the Constitution says that Congress has
The power to make laws “necessary and proper”
To carry out its stated powers
❖ According to the AF’s, this left the door wide open to an abuse of
power because the term “necessary and proper” was open to
interpretation
❖ A strong govt could interpret that to make laws that would reduce the
power of the state govts
The Bill of Rights Issue
● Other problem for the AF’s?? There’s no Bill (or list) of
Rights!
● They feared that a strong national govt might not respect
citizen’s rights
● The Federalists responded that a bill of rights listing the
rights of citizens was unnecessary because the
Constitution already limited the government’s powers
The Federalists Papers
● Some leading Federalists responded to the debate by
writing a bunch of persuasive essays called The
Federalist Papers
● Main authors: James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and
John Jay
● In all, there were 85 essays promoting the Constitution
● Hamilton → the AOC were a disaster
● Madison → the Constitution would protect the liberty of
every citizen
The Federalists also emphasized
the problems America faced as a
weak, immature nation on a large
continent.
If the states did not unite under a
strong national government, the
forces of Spain, England, and
France might overpower them.
Ratification
● The Federalists’ effective campaign and the support of
George Washington and Ben Franklin persuaded many to
support the new Constitution
● Many more were won over when the Federalists promised
to add a bill of rights when the Constitution was ratified
● Finally, in June 1788, the new govt was officially born
when New Hampshire became the 9th state to ratify the
Constitution
The new government would not last long,
however, without the support of the remaining
four states, which included more than 40% of
the nation’s population.
After bitter debate, VA and NY ratified the
document by insanely small margins.
By the spring of 1790, all 13 states had ratified
the new constitution.
The loose union of
independent states
had become the
UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA 💣💥💣💣💥
However, the creation
of political parties or
FACTIONS had begun
with the birth of
Federalists and Antifederalists camps.