Ratifying the
Constitution
Federalists vs. Anti-federalists
What does ratification mean?
Ratification means to give formal consent or
permission
 Although
the Constitution was adopted by the
framers on Sept. 17, 1787 – the states needed
to formally consent to it = RATIFICATION
Ratification Proves to be a Big Challenge
 9 out of 13 states had to ratify for the new constitution to go into
affect
 The ratification would be democratic: state citizens would elect
conventions to decide whether or not to ratify
 Even with all the compromising, large and small states could still
not agree
 Leaders split into two factions
 1. the Federalists (pro-ratification)
 2. the Anti-Federalists (anti-ratification)
The Process
• Each state hold special convention in order to vote
on constitution
• State delegates elected by people
• Ratification of Constitution required the approval of
9 states.
3/5 Compromise
• Written into the Constitution was the 3/5 Compromise
• Not all of the delegates agreed with slavery, but they
understood that the agricultural economy of the colonies
in the south depended on slavery
• Number of representatives in the House of
Representatives depended on population
• Slaves were counted as 3/5 of a person
Federalists v. Anti-Federalists
Federalists
• Supported the Constitution
Anti-Federalists
• Supported the Articles of
Confederation
• Wanted a strong central
government
• Wanted a weak central
government
Federalists
• Believed men with talents and
experience should govern the
nation
• Believed the Constitution
would protect the rights of the
people “as is”
Anti-Federalists
• Believed the Constitution only
supported wealthy men
• Believed that the national gov’t
would threaten the rights of the
common people
Federalists
• Believed the Constitution and
the state governments would
protect the rights of the people
Anti-Federalists
• Did not trust gov’t
• Even England had a Bill of
Rights for the people
Anti-Federalists
• Samuel Adams
Thomas Jefferson
Patrick Henry
The Federalist Papers
• Written by James Madison,
John Jay, and Alexander
Hamilton
• A collection of 85 articles
written to convince New York
state to approve the
Constitution
• James Madison’s papers #10
and #51 would prove to be the
most influential and important
Federalist #10
 Main points of #10
Factions, defined as “any group of citizens who attempt to
advance their beliefs or economic status at the expense of
other citizens” are dangerous and real threat to liberty
A well-formed, strong union can break and control the
violence of any faction
The US Constitution will provide protection against
dangerous factions by uniting the nation’s citizens
Federalist # 51
 Main points of #51
Humans by nature form alliances around common shared beliefs
Different interests must be represented in coalitions, aka alliances
made by citizens coming together for the same cause
Madison argues that the best and most successful coalitions can
only be formed in a large republic united under one form of rule
The bigger the republic, the greater the variety of interests, the
greater the variety of interests, the larger and more successful the
factions
So… what did these “Papers” accomplish??
 Probably only played a small role in securing ratification
 However….
They have a lasting value as an authoritative and inspiring
explanation of the Constitution
Showed citizens the importance of considering human nature
when choosing a method of government
Showed that both humans AND government can be corrupted –
a form of government must protect against corruption and
prevent both citizens and leaders from abusing their power
STILL Not Ratified… What now??
 Even with the efforts of men like James Madison, not all
states were on the Constitution bandwagon
 People were still very afraid that all of the rights they fought
for in the war were being threatened by the Constitutions
open-ended structure
 The solution? The Framers realized that ratification would
NEVER happen without at least the promise of a “bill of
rights”
Ratification
•
•
•
•
Nine states were needed to ratify the Constitution
Delaware was the first
New Hampshire was the ninth on June 21, 1788
Five states ratified the Constitution
with the understanding that a bill of rights
would be added.
The Bill of Rights
• After ratification, James Madison
proposed 12 amendments.
• After two years of debate, state
legislatures approved 10 of the 12.
• Now called The Bill of Rights.