8.3 RATIFICATION AND THE
BILL OF RIGHTS
TAKE NOTES
8.3 RATIFICATION AND THE BILL OF RIGHTS
Before we learned:
• The Constitution
created a new, stronger
government that
replaced the
Confederation.
Now we will learn:
• American liberties are
protected by the U.S.
Constitution and a Bill
of Rights.
VOCABULARY
• Antifederalists- people who opposed ratification of the Constitution
• Federalism- system of government in which power is shared between the national (or federal)
government and the states
• Federalists- people who supported ratification of the Constitution
• The Federalist papers- ratification essays published in New York newspapers
• Bill of Rights- first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution
• Majority rule- a system in which more than one half of a group holds the power to make decisions
binding the entire group
• Parliament- Britain’s chief lawmaking body
• Enlightenment- 18th century movement that emphasized the use of reason and the scientific method to
obtain knowledge
FEDERALISTS AND ANTIFEDERALISTS
• Key Question: What key issues divided Federalists and Antifederalists?
FEDERALISTS
• The framers suspected people might be afraid that the Constitution would
take too much power away from the states, so they explained that the
Constitution was based on federalism.
• Federalism- a system of government in which power is shared between the
central (or federal) government and the states.
• Supporters of the new Constitution called themselves Federalists.
FEDERALISTS AND ANTIFEDERALISTS
FEDERALISTS
• Federalists also promoted their views and answered critics
in a series of essays, known as The Federalist papers.
• The authors of The Federalist papers were well-known
politicians: James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John
Jay.
• The essays first appeared as letters in New York
newspapers, calling for ratification on the Constitution.
FEDERALISTS AND ANTIFEDERALISTS
ANTIFEDERALSITS
Antifederalists- people who opposed ratification of the Constitution.
ANTIFEDERALIST’s arguments against the Constitution
-took too much power from the States
-did not guarantee rights for the people
-feared a strong president would be declared king
-afraid the Senate would become a powerful ruling class
-liberties won during the Revolutionary War might be lost
FEDERALISTS AND ANTIFEDERALISTS
ANTIFEDERALISTS
• Antifederalists sent out a pamphlet with the essay, “Observations on the New
Constitution, and on the Federal and State Conventions.”
• This pamphlet was the work of Mercy Otis Warren, although was falsely
attributed to Elbridge Gerry. She was an Antifederalist and a respected
historian of the American Revolution.
FEDERALISTS VS. ANTIFEDERALISTS
ANTIFEDERALISTS
• Antifederalists received support from
• rural areas, where people feared a strong government that might add to
their tax burden.
• Large states and those with strong economies, such as New York, which
had greater freedom under the Articles of Confederation
THE BATTLE FOR RATIFICATION
• Key Question: How did the lack of a bill of rights endanger the Constitution?
• The Constitution did not guarantee that the government would protect the
rights of people or the states.
• Some supporters of the Constitution wanted to add a bill of rights, a formal
summary of citizens’ rights and freedoms, as a set of amendments to the
Constitution.
THE BATTLE FOR RATIFICATION
• Antifederalists were opposed to the U.S. Constitution and did NOT want it
ratified.
• Antifederalists wanted written guarantees that the people would have certain
freedoms.
• Federalists insisted that the Constitution granted only limited powers to the
national government so that it could not violate the rights of the states or of
the people.
• Federalists also argued that the Constitution gave the people power to
protect their rights through the election of trustworthy leaders.
• Solution?
THE BATTLE FOR RATIFICATION
• The Federalists met the demands of Antifederalists and promised to add a bill
of rights if the states ratified the Constitution.
THE BATTLE FOR RATIFICATION
State
Date
Order
Votes For
Votes Against
Delaware
December 7,
1787
1
30
0
Pennsylvania
December 12,
1787
2
46
23
New Jersey
December 18,
1787
3
38
0
Georgia
January 2, 1788
4
26
0
Connecticut
January 9, 1788
5
128
40
Massachusetts
February 6,
1788
6
187
168
Maryland
32
7
63
11
South Carolina
May 23, 1788
8
149
73
New
Hampshire
June 21, 1788
9
57
47
Virginia
June 25, 1788
10
89
79
New York
July 26, 1788
11
30
27
North Carolina
November 21,
1789
12
194
77
Rhode Island
May 29, 1790
13
34
• The Constitution was officially
ratified on June 21, 1788 when it
gained approval by the ninth state.
• It was vital to get the support of
New York so that the nation would
not be split in two geographically.
• Virginia also played an important
role since it was the largest state at
that time.
THE BATTLE FOR RATIFICATION
• Antifederalists in Virginia warned the South of
Northern domination.
• Under the Articles of Confederation, each state
had one vote and major decisions required the
approval of nine of the 13 states.
• The Constitution provided for majority rule, a
system in which more than one half of a group
holds the power to make decisions binding the
entire group.
• Virginian Antifederalists warned that under this
system, the North would be able to make
decisions on issues such as trade and slavery
that the South would have to follow.
THE BATTLE FOR RATIFICATION
• After fierce debate, Virginia narrowly
ratified the Constitution.
• When New York found out that Virginia
accepted the Constitution, they then as
well ratified the Constitution. (Until
then, the Antifederalists outnumbered
the Federalists).
• It was not until 1789 that North
Carolina ratified the Constitution.
Rhode Island finally ratified it in 1790.
THE BILL OF RIGHTS AND THE CONSTITUTION
• James Madison submitted ten
amendments, or additions to a
document, to the Constitution.
• They were placed at the end of the
Constitution in a separate section
and became known as the Bill of
Rights.
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THE BILL OF RIGHTS
1. Religions and Political Freedom
2. Right to Bear Arms
3. Quartering Troops
4. Search and Seizure
5. Rights of Accused Persons
6. Rights to a Speedy, Public Trial
7. Trial by Jury in Civil Cases
8. Limits of Fines and Punishments
9. Rights of People
10. Powers of States and People
THE BILL OF RIGHTS AND THE CONSTITUTION
• Amending the Constitution
• The Bill of Rights was the first step in making the Constitution a living document, one
that can be amended to reflect the changes in society.
• Ways to change the Constitution:
First: 2/3 of each house of Congress OR 2/3 of the state legislatures can propose an
amendment
Second: To make the amendment a law, an amendment needs the approval of ¾ of the
states.
By this method, the Bill of Rights became the first 10 amendments and since then, 17
more amendments have been added to the Constitution.