Questions about the new Constitution
- "Thus I consent, sir, to this Constitution, because I expect no better, and because I am not sure that it is not the best. The
opinions I have had of its errors I sacrifice to the public good" (Ben Franklin, 1787)
- With these words, Franklin, the oldest delegate at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, attempted at overcome the
skepticism of other delegates about the document that they had created
- Would the new Constitution establish a central gov't strong enough to hold 13 states together in a union that could endure?
- Ratification was fiercely debated for almost a year, from September 1787 until June 1788
Federalists
- Those who supported the Constitution and a __________________________________________ were known as Federalists
- Federalist tended to be most numerous along the Atlantic Coast & in the large cities
- Their leaders were George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton
- They believed in a stronger central government was needed to maintain order and ________________________________
- Emphasized weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation; showed their opponents as negative opponents with no solutions
- Their advantages were they were well-organized and had __________________________________________
- Their disadvantages were the Constitution was new & untried; as originally written, it lacked a bill of rights
Anti-Federalists
- Opponents of the Constitution & a strong federal gov't were known as Anti-Federalists
- Anti-Federalists tended to be small farmers and settlers on the _________________________________________
- Leaders from Vir. (George Mason & Patrick Henry) from Mass. (James Winthrop & John Hancock) from NY (George Clinton)
- They believed that a stronger central gov't would destroy the work of the Revolution, limit democracy, & restrict ___________
- Argued that the proposed Constitution contained no protection of individual rights, that it gave the central gov't more power
than the British ever had
- Their advantages were they appealed to popular ______________________________________ based on colonial experience
- Their disadvantages were they were poorly organized and slow to respond to the Federalist challenge
The Federalist Papers
- A key element in the Federalist campaign for the Constitution was a series of persuasive essays written for a NY newspaper by
James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay
- The ________________________, later published in book form as The Federalist Papers, presented reasons for believing in
the practicality of each major provision of the Constitution
Outcome
- Federalists won early victories in the state conventions in Delaware, New Jersey & Pennsylvania (the first 3 states to ratify)
- By promising to add a ________________________ to the Constitution, they addressed the Anti-Federalists' biggest objection
- With New Hampshire voting yes in June 1788, Federalists won the necessary 9 states to achieve ratification of the Constitution
- Even so, the larger states of _______________ & ________________ had not yet acted
- If they failed to ratify, any chance for national unity and strength would be in dire jeopardy
Virginia
- In 1788, Virginia was by far the __________________________________ of the original 13 states
- Anti-Federalists rallied behind two leaders (George Mason & Patrick Henry) who viewed the Constitution & a strong central
government as threats to Americans' hard-won liberty
- Virginia's Federalists, led by Washington, Madison, & John Marshall, won a close vote after promising a __________________
Other states
- New of Virginia's vote had enough influence on New York's ratifying convention (combined with __________________ efforts)
to win the day for the Constitution in that state
- ______________________ in Nov. 1789 & ____________________ in May 1790 reversed their earlier rejections & thus
became the last two states to ratify the Constitution as the new supreme law of the land
Adding the Bill of Rights
Why Anti-Federalists argued in favor of a Bill of Rights during the early months of the ratification debate
- Americans fought the War to escape the tyranny of a central gov't so what was to stop a strong gov't under the Constitution
from acting in a tyrannical manner? Only by adding a bill of rights could Americans _______________ against such a possibility
Why Federalists argued against a Bill of Rights during the early months of the ratification debate
- Since congress is elected by people they didn't need to be protected against themselves. It was better to assume that all
rights were protected than to create limited list of rights, since officials could say that ______________ could be violated at will
What happened during the ratification process?
- In order to win adoption of the Constitution in the ratifying conventions, the Federalists finally backed off their original
argument and promised to add a bill of rights to the Constitution as the first order of business of a newly __________________
The First Ten Amendments
- In 1789, the first Congress elected under the Constitution acted quickly to adopt amendments listing people's rights
- Drafted largely by ______________________________, the amendments were submitted to the states for ratification
- The ten that were adopted in1791 have been known ever since as the U.S. Bill of Rights
- They provided the guarantees that __________________wanted against possible abuses of power by the federal government
First Amendment
- Congress may make no laws that infringe a citizen's right to freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly & petition
- Congress may not favor one religion over another (__________________________________)
Second Amendment
- The people have the right to _______________________________ in a state militia
Third Amendment
- The people cannot be required to _______________________________________ during peacetime
Fourth Amendment
- The government may not carry out ____________________________________________________ of the people's property
Fifth Amendment
- No individual may be deprived of life, liberty, or property without _______________ of law & No defendant in a criminal case
may be forced to give evidence against themselves or stand trial twice for same crime (___________________________)
Sixth Amendment
- Anyone accused of a crime has the right to a _____________________________ and the right to call and question witnesses
Seventh Amendment
- In most civil cases (one person suing another in court), citizens have the right to ___________________________
Eighth Amendment
- Persons accused or convicted of crimes are protected against excessive bail and fines and ______________________________
Ninth Amendment
- Any rights not specifically mentioned in the Constitution are also guaranteed _______________________________________
Tenth Amendment
- All powers not delegated to the federal government belong to the _______________________________________________