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Chapter 2: Origins of American Government�Section 5

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Objectives

  • Identify the opposing sides in the fight for ratification and describe the major arguments for and against the proposed Constitution.
  • Describe the inauguration of the new government of the United States of America.

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Key Terms

  • Federalist: a person favoring ratification of the proposed U.S. Constitution
  • Anti-Federalist: a person opposing ratification of the proposed U.S. Constitution

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Introduction

  • What issues aroused the vigorous debate over the ratification of the Constitution?

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  • The key issues debated included:
    • How strong should the new central government be to avoid the problems faced under the Articles of Confederation?
    • Why didn’t the Constitution have a Bill of Rights, and was one really necessary?
    • Did Congress and the presidency have too much power?

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A New Government

  • The Articles of Confederation could only be amended by a unanimous vote of all 13 states.

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  • But the delegates at the Constitutional Convention decided to require only 9 of 13 states to ratify the Constitution.
    • They felt that a unanimous vote would be too difficult to achieve, and that the Articles were being replaced rather than amended.

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  • Copies of the new Constitution were sent to the states on September 18, 1787.

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Federalists

  • Supporters of ratification were called Federalists.

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  • They argued that the Articles of Confederation were weak and needed to be replaced.
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  • Alexander Hamilton was a leader among the Federalists

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Alexander Hamilton

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Anti-Federalists

  • Opponents of ratification were called Anti-Federalists.

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  • They opposed the new ratification process.
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  • They thought the new central government would be too strong.
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  • Most of all, they argued that the Constitution needed a Bill of Rights to protect the people.

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Bill of Rights

  • Checkpoint: Why did the Framers not include a bill of rights in the original Constitution?
    • At first, Federalists said a Bill of Rights was not needed because:
      • The state constitutions already protected individual rights and freedoms.
      • The separation of powers among the three branches would keep the new national government from abusing its authority.
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    • But Anti-Federalists opposition was so strong that Federalists eventually promised to add a Bill of Rights once the Constitution was ratified.

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Federalist Writings

  • The Federalist Papers influenced many Americans to support the Constitution

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  • These were written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, all using the pen name, Publius.
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  • They consisted of 85 political essays, written between 1787 and 1788, and were soon published across the nation.
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  • These essays are still read widely today for their insights into the Constitution, the federal government, and the nature of representative democracy.

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Anti-Federalist Writings

  • Anti-Federalists also wrote many essays, pamphlets, and letters

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  • The essays by “Brutus” were most likely written by Robert Yates. They were first published in New York.
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  • Richard Henry Lee of Virginia wrote a number of pamphlets and letters using the name “The Federal Farmer.”
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  • Around the country, debate over ratification was fed by these various written works expressing strong views on both sides.

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Ratification Debate

  • Ratification was swift in some states and bitterly contested in others.

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  • Approval of the Constitution required ratification by nine states.

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  • On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth ratifying state.

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Trouble with Ratification

  • Even though 9 states had ratified the Constitution, without the support of the key states of New York and Virginia, the Constitution would fail.

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  • In Virginia, James Madison, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson supported the Federalists against Anti-Federalists led by Patrick Henry, James Monroe, and George Mason.
  • New York was deadlocked until Alexander Hamilton helped turn the tide for the Federalists.

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Success

  • When Virginia and New York ratified the Constitution by narrow votes, success was finally ensured.

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  • Eventually all 13 states ratified the Constitution.

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Inauguration

  • The Confederation Congress chose New York City as the temporary capital of the United States.

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  • The new U.S. Congress first met on March 4, 1789, at Federal Hall in New York City.

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Inauguration, cont.

  • George Washington was chosen as the first President by a unanimous vote of electors.

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  • He took office on April 30th. John Adams was vice president.

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Review

  • Now that you have learned about the issues that arose the vigorous debate over the ratification of the Constitution, go back and answer the Chapter Essential Question.
    • How does the Constitution reflect the times in which it was written?

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Chapter 2, Section 5