1. Ratification of the U.S. Constitution
Federalists vs Anti-Federalists

2. Ratifying the Constitution
Main Idea:
Federalists and Antifederalists struggled over the principles of the new Constitution. But the promise of adding a Bill of Rights brought about ratification.
Essential Questions:
What arguments for and against the Constitution were put forth by Federalists and Antifederalists?
What ideas were published in The Federalist?
Why was adding a Bill of Rights significant in the ratification process?

3. Federalists vs Anti-Federalists
The new Constitution created a strong national government with certain powers left to the states.
When it was published, the drastic changes surprised and angered some people. They feared the idea of a too-powerful national government.
Federalists: supporters of the Constitution
Antifederalists: opponents of the Constitution

4. Final draft completed and signed
Sept. 17, 1787
Must be RATIFIED:
Approved
Required 9 states
1788

5. Federalist Viewpoint
Led by James Madison, John Dickinson, and Alexander Hamilton
Benjamin Franklin and George Washington also backed the Federalists.
Federalist cause was generally popular in the cities, but they were 0utnumbered in the general population.
Well organized and knew how to gather political support

6. Anti-Federalist Viewpoint
Their core consisted of farmers and planters.
Agreed on one central issue: they distrusted any central authority
Believed strong national government would lead to a kind of tyranny like the kind they fought against in the Revolution.
Worried that the government would abuse both states’ rights and individual liberties
Thought the new government favored the educated and wealthy over ordinary people
Led by Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, and Richard Henry Lee
Robert Yates, New York delegate, wrote anti-Constitution essays under the name Brutus.
They were less organized and less unified than the Federalists.

7. Concern for Individual Liberties
FEDERALISTS
ANTI-FEDERALISTS
In favor
View of Constitution
Opposed
Cities, merchants, skilled workers, small states
Backgrounds
Rural areas, farmers, large states
Strong gov’t would protect the people
Power of Government
Strong gov’t would threaten the rights of the people
Upper classes, elite
Who Should Rule
Common people, states
Don’t need a national Bill of Rights
Concern for Individual Liberties
Need a national Bill of Rights
Concern 7

8. Ratification Process
Antifederalists demanded the addition of a Bill of Rights.
Wanted to spell out some basic rights in the Constitution to make sure those rights would be protected
Adding the rights became the main focus of the struggle over ratification.
Congress called for special ratifying conventions in each state.

9. Ratification of the Constitution
FEDERALISTS:
support new Constitution
ANTIFEDERALISTS:
oppose it
WHY?
1. feared a strong central gov't.
2. wanted a Bill of Rights added

11. YOUR TOPIC GOES HERE
Your Subtopics Go Here

12. FEDERALIST PAPERS written by Hamilton, Jay, Madison
to explain and defend the Constitution to common people.
written by
Hamilton, Jay, Madison

13. Mixed support for the Constitution

14. The Federalist Papers
A series of essays discussing and defending the Constitution were published in New York newspapers.
Written under the pen name Publius
Publius was three Federalists: James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay
Circulated widely in other states
Collected in a book, The Federalist, also known as the Federalist Papers
Main goal of essays was to persuade New York delegates to ratify the document by explaining the advantages it would bring

15. Ideas in the Federalist Papers

16. SEPARATION OF POWERS FEDERALISM REPUBLIC
Each branch has separate powers
ideas of French philosopher Montesquieu
Ex: Congress makes laws, president carries them out and the courts say what they mean
FEDERALISM
Constitution lists the powers of the national gov’t
It reserves all other powers to the states
People are citizens of both state and nation
REPUBLIC
Representative Democracy
People elect those who govern them
Relies on the consent of the governed

17. Federalist #10
AMONG the numerous advantages promised by a well constructed Union, none deserves to be more accurately developed than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction…By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community….

18. Federalist #10
Madison warned against the dangers of factions—groups with specific, often opposing, interests.
Had torn apart some European governments
They were a natural part of American society and should not be suppressed.
A republican government would help balance the influence of factions.

19. Federalist #10
There are two methods of curing the mischiefs of faction: the one, by removing its causes; the other, by controlling its effects. There are again two methods of removing the causes of faction: the one, by destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence; the other, by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests.
It could never be more truly said than of the first remedy, that it was worse than the disease. Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires. But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency.

20. METHODS OF CURING THE "MISCHIEF OF FACTIONS"OR
2 OPTIONS
METHODS OF CURING THE "MISCHIEF OF FACTIONS"
Remove its Causes
Control Its Effects
Give everyone the
same opinions
Destroy liberty/
freedoms
Keep government small
Direct Democracy
Big Government
Republic

21. Federalist #51
If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.

22. Federalist #51
He explained how the separation of powers described in the Constitution would limit government powers.

23. A Closer Look at the Major Arguments in the Federalist Papers
Why New Government?
A Closer Look at the Major Arguments in the Federalist Papers
Much of the Federalist explained three basic ideas behind the Constitution:
The Constitution separates the powers of the national government
The Constitution creates a federal form of government
The Constitution sets up a republic

24. Fight for Ratification
The Federalists were better prepared than their opponents. They quickly organized and gained control of several state conventions, especially in small states.
After 11 states had ratified the Constitution, the Congress of the Confederation set dates for elections to choose members of Congress and presidential electors.

25. The Fight for Ratification
Several crucial states had ratified the Constitution only because they were promised a bill of rights.
Once the new Congress was elected, it needed to add the bill in the form of amendments to the Constitution.
James Madison took charge of putting the Bill of Rights through Congress.
He pointed out that in England the constitution limited only the king’s power, not Parliament’s. The amendments would protect against all abuses of power.
The states approved 10 of the 12 amendments that Congress had approved. They became the Bill of Rights.

26. The Amendments
First eight amendments dealt with individual civil liberties.
Ninth Amendment stated that listing certain rights given to the people did not mean that other rights did not exist as well.
The final amendment addressed the actions that states could do.
Tenth Amendment defined two kinds of government powers.
Delegated powers: powers that the Constitution gives to each branch of the national government
Reserved powers: powers that the Constitution does not specifically give to the federal government or deny to the states
Reserved powers belong to the states or to the people.

27. Bill of Rights Added in 1791 First 10 amendments
Protect the civil liberties of the citizens

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29. YOUR TOPIC GOES HERE
Your Subtopics Go Here

30. In republican government, the legislative authority necessarily predominates. The remedy for this inconveniency is to divide the legislature into different branches; and to render them, by different modes of election and different principles of action, as little connected with each other as the nature of their common functions and their common dependence on the society will admit. It may even be necessary to guard against dangerous encroachments by still further precautions. As the weight of the legislative authority requires that it should be thus divided, the weakness of the executive may require, on the other hand, that it should be fortified.

31. Ratification of the Constitution
Delaware
30-0
Dec 7, 1787
Pennsylvania
46-23
Dec 12, 1787
New Jersey
38-0
Dec 18, 1787
Georgia
26-0
Jan 2, 1788
Connecticut
128-40
Jan 9, 1788
Massachusetts
Feb 7, 1788
Maryland
63-11
Apr 28, 1788
South Carolina
149-73
May 23, 1788
New Hamp.
57-46
June 21, 1788
Virginia
89-79
June 26, 1788
New York
30-27
July 26, 1788
North Carolina
195-77
Nov 21, 1789
Rhode Island
34-32
May 29, 1790
Ratification
of the
Constitution