Ratifying the Constitution Chapter 10, Lesson , 4-4.4

The Federalists and Antifederalists Federalists were people who wanted a strong national government. Antifederalists were people who were not happy with the Constitution. A few were: Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay led the Federalist fight for the Constitution. They organized actions to education the people about it by writing a series of essays called The Federalist. Each essay explained the weaknesses of an Antifederalist argument.

The Federalists and Antifederalists The Antifederalists strongly expressed their fears: - The Constitution would reduce the powers of the states. - The President might easily become king. - The federal government would pass laws that were not suitable for one part of the country or another. - The Constitution did not truly protect important rights of Americans from the government including freedom of religion, freedom of the press, trial by jury, and others. Thomas Jefferson, though not an antifederalist, agreed that a bill of rights is what the people are entitled to.

The Bill of Rights In , a few states ratified the Constitution. Delaware was the first and Pennsylvania was the second. In Massachusetts, the Constitution’s lack of a bill of rights helped Antifederalists. But the Federalists pledged that Congress would add a Bill of Rights to the Constitution. An addition or change to the Constitution is called an amendment. By 1790, all 13 states had accepted the Constitution as the supreme law of the land. When the first Congress under the Constitution met, one of its first acts was to pass the 10 amendments that would be called the Bill of Rights.