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2. Ratification and the Bill of Rights

3. Federalists and Antifederalists
By February of 1788, Americans had already been debating the new Constitution for months. The document had been widely distributed in newspapers and pamphlets across the country. The framers of the Constitution knew that the document would cause controversy.
Antifederalists, people who opposed the Constitution, sent out a pamphlets voicing their concerns over the form of the new government
At once they began to campaign for ratification, or approval, of the Constitution.
Concerns of the Federalists The framers suspected that people might be afraid the Constitution would take too much power away from the states.
To address this fear, the framers explained that the Constitution was based on federalism.

4. Federalism
Federalism is a system of government in which power is shared between the central (or federal) government and the states.
The people who supported the Constitution took the name Federalists.
The Federalists promoted their views and answered their critics in a series of essays, The Federalist papers.
Three well-known politicians wrote The Federalist papers—James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay.
These essays first appeared as letters in New York newspapers. Calling for ratification of the Constitution, The Federalist papers appealed both to reason and emotion. In The Federalist papers, Hamilton described why people should support ratification.

5. The Federalist Papers PRIMARY SOURCE
“Yes, my countrymen, I am clearly of opinion it is your interest to adopt it [the Constitution]. I am convinced that this is the safest course for your liberty, your dignity, and your happiness.”
—Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist “Number 1”

6. Concerns of the Antifederalists
The Antifederalists thought the Constitution took too much power away from the states and did not guarantee rights for the people.
Some feared that a strong president might be declared king.
Others feared the Senate might become a powerful ruling class.
Antifederalists received support from rural areas, where people feared a strong government that might add to their tax burden.
Large states and those with strong economies, such as New York, which had greater freedom under the Articles of Confederation, also were unsupportive of the Constitution at first.

7. Antifederalist v. Federalist
Antifederalists
“Your president may easily become king: Your Senate is so imperfectly constructed that your dearest rights may be sacrificed by what may be a small minority; and a very small minority may continue for ever unchangeably this government, although horridly defective. Where are your checks in this government?
—Patrick Henry
Federalists “I am persuaded that a firm union is as necessary to perpetuate our liberties as it is to make us respectable; and experience will probably prove that the national government will be as natural a guardian of our freedom as the state legislature[s] themselves. —Alexander Hamilton

8. Antifederalist v. Federalist
The mode of levying taxes is of the utmost consequence; and yet here it is to be determined by those who have neither knowledge of our situation, nor a common interest with us.
—George Mason
As all the States are equally represented in the Senate, and by men the most able and the most willing to promote the interests of their constituents, they will all have an equal degree of influence in that body.
—John Jay

9. The Battle for Ratification
The proposed U.S. Constitution contained no guarantee that the government would protect the rights of the people, or of the states.
Some supporters of the Constitution, including Thomas Jefferson, wanted to add a bill of rights.
A bill of rights - a formal summary of citizens’ rights and freedoms, as a set of amendments to the Constitution.

10. The Call for a Bill of Rights
Virginia’s convention opened in June of 1788.
Antifederalist Patrick Henry fought against ratification, or approval, of the Constitution.
George Mason, who had been a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, also was opposed to it.
Antifederalists wanted written guarantees that the people would have freedom of speech, of the press, and of religion. They demanded assurance of the right to trial by jury and the right to bear arms.

11. The Call for a Bill of Rights
Federalists insisted that the Constitution granted only limited powers to the national government so that it could not violate the rights of the states or of the people.
They also pointed out that the Constitution gave the people the power to protect their rights through the election of trustworthy leaders.
In the end, Federalists yielded to the people’s demands and promised to add a bill of rights if the states ratified the Constitution.

12. Final Ratification
In December 1787, Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania voted for ratification. In January 1788, Georgia and Connecticut ratified the Constitution, followed by Massachusetts in early February. By late June, nine states had ratified.
The Constitution was officially ratified
with nine votes.
It was vital, however, to get the support of Virginia, the largest state, and New York.
Without New York, the nation would be split geographically into two parts.
James Madison recommended that Virginia ratify the Constitution, with the addition of a bill of rights.

13. Final Ratification
As other states ratified, however, the Virginia Antifederalists played on Southern fear of Northern domination.
Under the Articles of Confederation, each state had one vote, and major decisions required the approval of nine of the 13 states.
The Constitution, however, provided for majority rule, which means that more than one half of a group holds the power to make decisions binding on the entire group.
The North, Virginia Antifederalists warned, would then dictate policy in trade, slavery, and other important issues bearing on the southern economy.

14. Final Ratification
After bitter debate, at the end of June, Virginia narrowly ratified the Constitution with 89 in favor and 79 opposed. The news of Virginia’s vote arrived while the New York convention was in debate. Until then, the Antifederalists had outnumbered the Federalists. But with Virginia’s ratification, New Yorkers decided to join the Union. New York also called for a bill of rights.
It would be another year before North Carolina ratified the Constitution, followed by Rhode Island in By then, the new Congress had already written a bill of rights and submitted it to the states for approval.