Ratifying the Constitution
1. Which founding father was in Paris
at the time of the Constitutional
Convention?
• Thomas Jefferson was serving as an
ambassador to France at the time of the
convention.
2. What does ratify mean?
• Ratify – approve a law
3. How many states had to ratify the
constitution before it could become
law?
• 9 of the 13 states had to ratify the constitution
before it became law
4. What did the Federalists favor?
• Favored ratifying the constitution
• Wanted a strong national government
5. What was the name of the series of
essays that were written by Alexander
Hamilton, James Madison, and John
Jay? What was the topic of these
essays? Where were they printed?
• The essays were called The Federalist
• These essays supported the ratification of the
constitution and a strong central government
• They were printed in New York newspapers
6. What did the Anti-Federalists
oppose? Why?
• They opposed the ratification of the
constitution
• They believed that it threatened the state and
individual rights
7. Give 4 reasons why the Federalists
won.
• They pointed out many of the problems with
the Articles of Confederation to the public.
• Federalists united behind the constitution, the
Anti-Federalists had no particular plan.
• Federalists were connected at a national level
the Anti-Federalists tried to work on local and
state levels.
• The federalists had the support of George
Washington.
8. Which state was the last of the 13
states to ratify the constitution?
• Rhode Island was the last to ratify in May of
1790
9. What is the Bill of Rights? What are
they meant to do for the citizens of
the United States?
• The first 10 amendments to the constitution
are called the Bill of Rights
• They are meant to protect the individual rights
of United States Citizens
10. What is an inauguration?
• Inauguration – an official swearing in of a
public official
11. Who was the first President of the
United States?
• George Washington
12. What does the Secretary of State
do? Who was the first?
• The secretary of State is responsible for
handling relations between the United States
and foreign countries
• Thomas Jefferson was the first
13. Who was the first Secretary of the
Treasury?
• Alexander Hamilton
14. Where was the capital during first
year of Washington’s Presidency?
Then where was it moved to for the
rest of his presidency?
• The capital was in New York City for the first
year of Washington’s term
• Then it was moved to Philadelphia for the next
10 years
15. Where did the Residency Act of
1790 set the new capital permanently?
What was this area to be called?
• It set the new capital to be located in a small
10 mile stretch of land along the Potomac
River along the Virginia-Maryland border
• The land was to be ruled by the Federal
Government but not by either state
• It was called the District of Columbia,
Washington was added to the name after his
death in 1799