ratifying the constitution chapter 5 section 3
TRANSCRIPT
RATIFY ING THE CONST ITUT ION
CHAPTER 5SECTION 3
CONTROVERSIES OVER THE CONSTITUTION
•Special convention- organized to determine whether or not they supported the Constitution. •Citizens of each state elected delegates to attend the special convention• 9 out of the 13 states had to ratify the Constitution
FEDERALISTS(GEORGE WASHINGTON, JAMES MADISON, ALEXANDER HAMILTON)
• division of powers & system of checks and balances would protect Americans from the tyranny
• Federalists received heavy support from:
• cities-merchants, skilled workers, & laborers believed a STRONG federal government would improve trade/economy.
• Small states with weak economies.
ANTI-FEDERALISTS
( SAMUEL ADAMS, PATRICK HENRY, RICHARD HENRY LEE)
ANTI-FEDERALISTS
• Opposed having a strong centralized government & were against the Constitution• Feared a strong central government would ignore the
rights of the majority.• Single government could NOT manage affairs of a large
country. • Constitution lacked protection of individual rights.• Received strong support from rural areas and states
with strong economies like New York.
• Federalist Papers: series of 85 essays defending the Constitution• appeared in New York newspapers in 1787 & 1788. •Written by Alex Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. • Considered the best political works on the US Constitution ever written.
THE OPPOSING FORCES
• Letters from the Federal Farmer:
(antifederalist) • written by Henry Lee• Antifederalists believed
that people’s rights need to be protected: • freedom of speech, press,
religion; • guarantees against
unreasonable searches of people, their homes
• right to trial by jury.
• Made a strong argument in support of a Bill of Rights.
THE OPPOSING FORCES (CONTINUED)
THE BILL OF RIGHTS LEADS TO RATIFICATION
• proposed US constitution had no guarantee that the government would protect the rights of the people or the states. • Many felt that without
a bill of rights, the nation would not adopt the new government
WHY PEOPLE DEMANDED A BILL OF RIGHTS
• Antifederalists argued: • The Constitution weakened
state governments.• Citizens needed a written
guarantee of freedoms
• The Federalists eventually agreed to add a Bill of Rights if the states agreed to ratify the Constitution.
ADOPTION OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS
• Congress submitted 12 amendments to the state legislatures for ratification.• December 1791: 3/4
of states had ratified 10 amendments: Bill of Rights.
ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL?(NOT REALLY)
• Native Americans and slaves were excluded.• Women not mentioned• Many states permitted free blacks to vote, but
the Bill of Rights offered them no protection against discrimination & hostility.