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Ratifying the Constitution DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=TX-A SECTION 4 Ratifying the TEKS 1A, 4E, 15A, 15C, 17A, Constitution 19B, 21A What You Will Learn . If YOU were there... Main Ideas You are a newspaper editor in Philadelphia. During colonial rule, of- 1. Federalists and Antifederal- ficials sometimes closed down your newspaper because you had criti- ists engaged in debate over the new Constitution. cized the governor. Now you are one of many Americans who want to 2. The Federalist Papers be sure the new Constitution will guarantee individual rights. You are played an important role in the fight for ratification of the writing an editorial in your paper explaining what you want. Constitution. 3. Ten amendments were added What rights would you want the to the Constitution to provide Constitution to protect? a Bill of Rights to protect citizens. The Big Idea BUILDING BACKGROUND The new Constitution did not make Americans carried on a vigor- everyone happy. Even its framers knew they had not made a perfect ous debate before ratifying the Constitution. document. Many people were afraid a strong national government would become as tyrannical as the British government had been. Before Key Terms and People approving the Constitution, they wanted to be sure that their rights Antifederalists, p. 170 would be protected. George Mason, p. 170 Federalists, p. 171 Federalist Papers, p. 171 Federalists and Antifederalists Bill of Rights, p. 173 When the Constitution was made public, a huge debate began among many Americans. Antifederalists —people who opposed the Constitution—thought that the Constitutional Convention should not have created a new government. Others thought the Use the graphic organizer online to Constitution gave too much power to the central government. Con- take notes on the differing views of the U.S. Constitution. vention delegate George Mason became an Antifederalist for this reason. In a speech to a Virginia ratifying convention he stated, “This power is calculated to annihilate totally the state governments.” For some Antifederalists, the main problem was that the Constitution did not have a section that guaranteed individual rights. Many Antifederalists were small farmers and debtors. Some Patriots, including Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry, were also strong Antifederalists. At the Virginia ratifying convention, Henry spoke out against the lack of protection of individual free- doms. “The first thing I have at heart is American liberty,” he said. “The second thing is American union.” Antifederalists were 170 CHAPTER 5 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=TX-A Federalists vs. Antifederalists Alexander Hamilton George Mason Federalist Antifederalist • Supported the Constitution as an • Opposed the Constitution excellent plan for government • Believed the Constitution needed a • Defended his views in the Federalist Papers section guaranteeing individual rights challenged by those who believed that the READING CHECK Comparing and Contrasting United States needed a stronger central Explain the similarities and differences between government. the Antifederalists and the Federalists. Federalists, supporters of the Constitu- tion, included James Madison, George Wash- ington, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Federalist Papers Hamilton. Most Federalists believed that One of the most important defenses of the FOCUS ON the Constitution offered a good balance of Constitution appeared in a series of essays READING Take notes on the power between various political views. Many that became known as the Federalist Papers. Federalists were wealthy planters, farmers, chronological These essays supporting the Constitution order of this and lawyers. However, others were workers were written anonymously under the name section. Which and craftspeople. Publius. They were actually written by Ham- was written first, Federalists and Antifederalists debat- the Federalist ilton, Madison, and Jay. Papers or the Bill ed whether the new Constitution should The authors of the Federalist Papers tried of Rights? be approved. They made speeches and to reassure Americans that the new federal printed pamphlets advocating their views. AC ADEMIC government would not overpower the states. VOCY ABULAR Mercy Otis Warren, an ardent Patriot during In Federalist Paper No. 10, Madison argued advocate the war, wrote a pamphlet entitled Obser- that the diversity of the United States would to plead in favor of vations on the New Constitution, in which prevent any single group from dominating she criticized the lack of individual rights the government. it provided. The Federalists had to convince The Federalist Papers were widely reprinted people a change in the structure of govern- in newspapers around the country as the ment was needed. To do this, they had to debate over the Constitution continued. overcome people’s fears that the Constitution Finally, they were collected and published in would make the government too powerful. book form in 1788. FORMING A GOVERNMENT 171 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=TX-A Primary Source HISTORIC DOCUMENT Federalist Paper No. 10 In November 1787, Number 10 in the series called the Federalist Papers was written in support of the Constitution. In it, James Madison describes the way federalism will overcome disagreements within society. Madison believes that lawmakers are responsible A landed interest, a manufacturing interest, a mercantile [trading] interest, for regulating the “a moneyed interest, with many lesser interests, grow up of necessity in many competing civilized nations, and divide them into different classes, actuated [moved] concerns that make up society. by different sentiments and views. The regulation of these various and inter- fering interests [opinions] forms the principal task of modern legislation, and involves the spirit of party and faction [group] in the necessary and ordinary The federal operations of the government . government will handle issues The federal Constitution forms a happy combination . the great . interests affecting the nation being referred to the national [legislature]; the local and particular to the as a whole; state state legislatures . The influence of factious leaders may kindle [start] a and local govern- flame within their particular states, but will be unable to spread a general ments will handle conflagration [large fire] through the other states. those concerning —James Madison, quoted” in Living American Documents, local issues. edited by Isidore Starr, et al. ANALYSIS SKILL ANALYZING PRIMARY SOURCES Why does Madison think federalism will prevent disagreement? The Constitution needed only 9 states into effect in June 1788 after New Hamp shire to pass it. However, to establish and preserve became the ninth state to ratify it. national unity, each state needed to ratify it. Political leaders across America knew the Every state except Rhode Island held special new government needed the support of the state conventions that gave citizens the chance large states of Virginia and New York, where to discuss and vote on the Constitution. debate still raged. Finally, Madison and fel- Paul Revere served on a committee sup- low Virginia Federalists convinced Virginia to porting ratification. He wrote of the Consti- ratify it in mid-1788. In New York, riots had tution, “The proposed . government, is well occurred when the draft of the Constitution calculated [planned] to secure the liberties, was made public. At the state convention in protect the property, and guard the rights of Poughkeepsie to discuss ratification, Hamil- the citizens of America.” Antifederalists also ton argued convincingly against the Antifed- spoke out in state conventions, and wrote eralists led by DeWitt Clinton. When news articles and pamphlets that became known arrived of Virginia’s ratification, New York rat- as the Antifederalist Papers. In New York, one ified it as well. Rhode Island was the last state citizen said, “It appears that the government to ratify the Constitution in May 1790. will fall into the hands of the few and the great.” READING CHECK Drawing Conclusions On December 7, 1787, Delaware became Why were Virginia and New York important the first state to ratify the Constitution. It went to the ratification of the Constitution? 172 CHAPTER 5 DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=TX-A Bill of Rights Legislators took ideas from the state rati- fying conventions, the Virginia Declaration Several states ratified the Constitution only of Rights, the English Bill of Rights, and the after they were promised that a bill protecting Declaration of Independence to make sure individual rights would be added to it. Many that the abuses listed in the Declaration of Antifederalists did not think that the Consti- Independence would be illegal under the new tution would protect personal freedoms. government. In September 1789 Congress Some Federalists said that the nation did proposed 12 amendments and sent them to not need a federal bill of rights because the the states for ratification. By December 1791 Constitution itself was a bill of rights. It was, the states had ratified the Bill of Rights —10 they argued, written to protect the liberty of of the proposed amendments intended to all U.S. citizens. protect citizens’ rights. James Madison wanted to make a bill of THE IMPACT These 10 amendments set a clear exam- TODAY rights one of the new government’s first pri- ple of how to amend the Constitution to fit In 1789, Madison orities. In Congress’s first session, Madison the needs of a changing nation. The flexibil- encouraged the legislators to put together suggested an ity of the U.S. Constitution has allowed it to amendment a bill of rights. The rights would then be survive for more than 200 years. limiting Con- added to the Constitution as amendments, gress’s power over its own or official changes. In Article V of the Con- READING CHECK Summarizing Why is being salary. Although stitution, the founders had provided a way able to amend the Constitution important? Congress to change the document when necessary in proposed the order to reflect the will of the people.
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