US History
Fort Burrows
7.4 - Ratification and Bill of Rights
READ pgs 215 - 245
Main Idea:
Main idea is after heated debates, the 13 states voted one by one to approve the
new Constitution.
Vocabulary:
Federalists - supporters of the constitution who favored a strong federal gov’t
Antifederalists - people who opposed the constitution and a strong federal gov’t
The Federalist Papers - series of essays written by Madison, Hamilton and Jay to
explain and defend the Constitution
amend - change
Bill of Rights - first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution
Setting the Scene:
Across the nation, Americans discussed the new Constitution. The Boston Daily
Adviser called for citizens to debate the new plan in the pages of its newspapers.
“Come on brother scribblers, ‘tis idle to lag!
The Convention has let the cat out of the bag.”
Quoted in Miracle at Philadelphia (Bowen)
The Constitutional Convention had done its work. Now, in the fall of 1787, the
delegates began. Each state had to decide whether or not to ratify the new framework
of government.
Why did the Boston Newspaper writer say, ‘The Convention let the cat out of the bag ?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
Federalists Debate Antifederalists
 Framers sent the Constitution to Congress along with a letter from Washington
 Washington approved document and predicted that the Constitution would
“promote the lasting welfare of the country so dear to us all”
 9 of 13 states had to ratify the Constitution
 Delegates from each state would decide whether or not to ratify the Constitution
1 of 7.4 Printer Copy
US History
Fort Burrows
 The Federalist Position
 In every state, heated debates took place
 Supporters of the Constitution called themselves Federalists
 Federalists favored a strong federal government
 Federalists argued that the AOC left too much power with the states
 The imbalance produced a dangerously weak central government
 Federalists believed that the Constitution gave the federal government the
authority it needed to function effectively
 AND, they thought Constitution still protected the rights and power of
individual states
 Madison, Hamilton and Jay wrote a series of essays to explain and defend the
Constitution
 The Federalist Papers remain one of the best discussions of the political theory
behind the American system of government
¿¿ Why did the Federalists support the Constitution ?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
 The Antifederalists Position
 Antifederalists felt the Constitution made the federal government too strong
and left the states too weak
 They felt the Constitution gave the President too much power
“This Constitution is said to have beautiful features, but…they
appear to me horribly frightful…Your President may become king…
If your American chief be a man of ambition and abilities,
how easy is it for him to render himself absolute!”
Patrick Henry, Speech to the Virginia Convention, June 1788
 Most people expected GW to be elected President
 Antifederalists admired GW but warned that future Presidents might lack
GW’s honor and skill
Key Issue: Need for a Bill of Rights




The chief objection of Antifederalists was that the Constitution had no bill of rights
A bill of rights was needed to protect basic liberties like freedom of speech/religion
Strongest supporter of the bill of rights was George Mason, from VA
He joined Antifederalists after the Constitutional Convention refused to include a
bill of rights
 Federalists replied it was impossible to list all the natural rights of people
 Antifederalists responded that unless rights were spelled out, they could be ignored
2 of 7.4 Printer Copy
US History
Fort Burrows
¿¿ Why did the Antifederalists want a Bill of Rights ?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
The States Vote to Ratify
 One by one, states voted – Delaware led the way on December 7, 1787
 Pennsylvania and New Jersey soon followed
 New England Approves
 Massachusetts was the first key battleground
 Old patriots, Sam Adams and John Hancock, held back and convinced the
state convention to recommend adding a bill of rights to the Constitution
 Massachusetts became the 6th state to ratify in February 1788
 New Hampshire jointed ranks in June 1788 as the 9th state
 The new government could go into effect!
 New York and Virginia, 2 of the largest states, had not yet ratified
 Last Holdouts
 Henry, Mason and Governor Randolph led the opposition in Virginia
 Madison was no match for Henry’s dramatic style and words
 Tide turned when Randolph changed his mind when the Federalists
promised to add a bill of rights
 Virginia ratified in late June 1788
 New York struggled for another month and ratified in July 1788
 North Carolina followed in November 1789
 Rhode Island, the last state, ratified on May 29, 1790
1. Delaware
2. Pennsylvania
3. New Jersey
4. Georgia
5. Connecticut
6. Massachusetts
7. Maryland
8. South Carolina
9. New Hampshire
10. Virginia
11. New York
12. North Carolina
13. Rhode Island
3 of 7.4 Printer Copy
December 7, 1787
December 12, 1787
December 18, 1787
January 2, 1788
January 9, 1788
February 6, 1788
April 28, 1788
May 23, 1788
June 21, 1788
June 25, 1788
July 26, 1788
November 21, 1789
May 29, 1790
US History
Fort Burrows
 The Nation Celebrates
 Americans celebrated the news that the Constitution was ratified
 Festive parade in Philadelphia was led by soldiers from the Revolution
 “Tis done. We have become a nation.”
Adding the Bill of Rights





Americans voted in 1st election under the Constitution in January 1789
George Washington was elected President
John Adams was elected Vice-President
1st Congress met in New York City, chosen as the nation’s 1st capital
1st order of business was adding a bill of rights to the Constitution
 Proposed and ratified
 Framers established a way to amend the Constitution but it was difficult
 They did not want people to make changes lightly
 They proposed 12 amendments written by Madison
 Amendments went to the states and ¾ of the states had ratified 10 of the 12
amendments by December 1791
 These 10 amendments became known as the Bill of Rights
 The Bill of Rights
 Madison insisted that the Bill of Rights did not give Americans any rights
 People already had these rights – they were “natural rights”
 Bill of Rights simply prevents the government from taking these rights away
 Some Amendments were intended to prevent the kind of abuses Americans
had suffered under English rule – for example:
Declaration condemned king for forcing
colonists to quarter British troops in their
homes
Declaration condemned king for
suspending trial by jury
3rd Amendment forbids the government to
quarter troops in citizens’ homes without
their consent
6th and 7th Amendments guarantee the
right to trial by jury
 Constitution has endured for more than 200 years because it contains
timeless principles, yet can be amended
4 of 7.4 Printer Copy
US History
Fort Burrows
Causes
 Articles of Confederation creates weak national government
 Convention meets to revise Articles of Confederation
 Trade and money problems arise between states
 Foreign nations take advantage of weak government
 Shays’ Rebellion breaks out
The Writing of the
Constitution
Effects
 New government includes President and two- house legislature
 Power is divided between national and state governments
 Compromises allow slavery to continue
 States debate and ratify Constitution
 Bill of Rights is added
Effects Today
 United states is world’s oldest continuing constitutional democracy
 Debate about federal versus state power continues
 Amendments extend rights to more citizens
 New democracies look to the Constitution as a model
5 of 7.4 Printer Copy
US History
Fort Burrows
“ A Bill of Rights was needed to protect such basic liberties as freedom of
speech and religion”
1. Which of the following individuals was most likely to agree with the statement
above ?
A. Alexander Hamilton
B. John Jay
C. George Mason
D. Benjamin Rush
2. What were the key issues in the debate between the Federalists and the
Antifederalists ?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
3. How was the Constitution finally ratified ?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
4. How was the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution ?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
6 of 7.4 Printer Copy