A.P.

American History

By: Patrick Roniger, Richard Golder,

and Rob Carson
 People Debate Ratification
• The procedure for ratifying the constitution
was along with its contents radical
• Some delegates refused to submit the
Constitution to their state legislature, because
they knew that some states such as Rhode
Island would reject it
• Because of this, they arbitrarily specified that
the Constitution would go into effect after only
9 states ratified it
 Federalists vs. Antifederalists
• With a constitutional debate persisting, the nationalists took the
advantage with two new moves, first they called themselves Federalists
• This meant that they supported a federal union. They supported the
constitution and upon opposition, they wrote a number of essays
pertaining to the subject, called the Federalist papers
• The opponents of the constitution, the Antifederalists, wanted much of
the power in state governments, fearing that the federal government
would gain too much power and become a monarchy or dictatorship
• The Antifederalists, feared there was not enough natural rights in the
constitution, and felt the offices of the federal governments would be
run by wealthy men. Some antifederalists, wanted the government
close to the people and the states a series of small republics tied only
for defense and trade, thus the States United.
 The Federalist Papers
• A series of 85 essays written by James
Madison, John Jay, and Alexander
Hamilton, which was rarely read
outside New York City, where it was
bound. It was a text which promoted
a strong federal government and
crucially explained how the branches
of government would be divided into
a executive, bicameral legislative, and
judicial branches, thus preserving
liberty.
 Debates over Slavery
• Slavery came up a number of times during the Constitutional
Convention in Philadelphia, where republicanism met with the
ongoing practice of slavery and the slave trade.
• Slavery was not a main topic being discussed but it resurfaced
multiple times, most notably during representation, which
produced a three fifths clause (3/5 of slaves would be counted
for taxation and House of Rep. population-congressmen
concept)
• Narrowly, the delegates left the issue as is, and continued the
convention.
• This wouldn`t eventually resurface until the Civil War, less than
100 years later
 The Ratification Conventions
• The delegates who originally refused to submit the constitution to
their states were very diverse, and included farmers to wealthy
gentlemen. However, in contrast to their social class, most were
antifederalist. In Massachusetts, where there was heavy
concentration of antifederalists, the Convention promised a Bill of
Rights, giving many natural rights to the people, which by a close
vote won Massachusetts
• With more states ratifying, the required nine had been met,
however Virginia and New York had not acted, and with The
Federalist circulating and the promise of a Bill of Rights, both
states were narrowly swayed. Working until Rhode Island
submitted on May 29, 1790, nearly a full six months after North
Carolina, thus established a national republic.