The Ratification Conflict
I can discuss the controversy over the ratification of the Constitution, including the views of the
Federalists and Anti-Federalists.
The whole challenge of developing a new government for the
United States did not end when the Constitution was signed on
September 17, 1787. Over the next 10 months, the new document
had to be ratified, or approved, by nine of the thirteen states in order
to become law. In each state, the state legislature would receive
the new Constitution, but not vote on it. Instead, delegates to a
ratifying convention would be selected in each state, and these
conventions would vote for the support (or disapproval) if the new
constitution. Simple, right? Well …
The Framers thought the constitution would be approved fairly
quickly. By putting the Constitution in the hands of specially elected
conventions, the jealous state governments would be avoided (since they were losing some power
under this new form of government). It would obviously be much easier to gain the support of nine
states, as opposed to all thirteen states as under the Articles of Confederation. The delegates also
saw the Constitution as a fundamental law requiring the support of more than just the state
legislatures. They hoped that the ratification process itself would persuade Americans to think of
themselves as a nation, encouraging them to look beyond their state's borders in deciding whether to
support the Constitution and persuading them to adopt a new government for the American nation.
Also, the Constitution's supporters hoped that a series of quick ratifications by the first state
conventions might generate momentum that would be difficult to resist. Still simple, right? Well …
Ratification was not that simple, since there were many possible roadblocks in the way. For one, the
Confederation Congress might reject the Constitution, rewrite it, or refer it to a second general
convention, claiming that the first had violated its instructions of revising the Articles. For the same
reason, the states might refuse to elect ratifying conventions. Enough state conventions might reject
the Constitution (whether as an unlawful proposal or on its merits) to prevent its execution. Finally,
rejection by the legislatures or conventions of any or all of four key states—Massachusetts, New
York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia—might cripple the Constitution, even if the necessary nine states
did approve it. These possibilities dominated American politics of the time.
Thankfully, the Confederation Congress sent the Constitution to the states with neither an
endorsement nor a condemnation. This action, a compromise engineered by supporters of the
Constitution, ended of the possible problem that the convention had exceeded its power in making a
new government. Following the submission to the states, the state legislatures' decisions to hold
ratifying conventions helped to confirm the Constitution's legitimacy. So everything would run
smoothly, right? Well …
As the Constitution was sent to the states, a few states quickly ratified the document in their
convention. Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey quickly ratified in December of 1787, followed
by Connecticut and Georgia in January and Massachusetts in February of 1788. The ratification vote
in many of the states was very much in support of the Constitution, with Massachusetts facing some
challenge from opponents to the new government. With six states quickly accepting, it seemed
inevitable that the nine necessary states would soon approve, and the new government would take its
place in the young United States. No problems, right? Well …
Two groups developed in many of the remaining states –
supporters of the new Constitution, who called themselves “The
Federalists”, and opponents to the document, who were dubbed
the “Antifederalists) by the supporters. These two groups battled it
out in the key states of New York and Virginia, and it seemed that
the fate of the new government (and therefore the nation) rested
on the outcome of this debate. We will have our own debate in
class tomorrow as you drop your role of a delegate to the Federal
Convention and wear a new hat – that of a supporter or opponent
to the ratification of the Constitution.
FEDERALIST
In our next class, you will be a
, or a
supporter of the Constitution. To prepare, you should spend 15-20
minutes looking at the resources listed online to help you examine
the views of the supporters. Using those resources, begin filling in
your side of the notes on the Federalists vs. Antifederalists. You
will be required to speak in the debate tomorrow, so the more
opinions you have, the better off you will be. You can also use the
space below to come up with any questions you may have as you
check out the resources.
Any questions as you read?
Once you have completed this assignment and the class activity, you should be able to do the
following …
q I understand why the Federalists developed after the writing of the Constitution and how they used the
Federalist papers to persuade the public.
q I understand why the Antifederalists developed after the writing of the Constitution and the main points of
their argument against the Constitution.
q I can describe many of the views of the Federalists and Antifederalists, especially if I am asked to do so on
a test next week.
q I understand that the Constitution had been ratified by nine states, but without the support of New York and
Virginia, the nation wouldn’t succeed.
q I can discuss the compromise made in order to get the support of New York and Virginia.
q I can argue that the Antifederalists won, even though they lost.