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The new Constitution was sent to the states, and each state had to call a convention. There, delegates would vote to ratify or not ratify. To ratify is to approve. Then the real debate began.
Those in favor of the Constitution were called Federalists. Federal refers to a central government. They thought the country would do better with a stronger central government.
Those who were against this idea were called Anti-Federalists. People didn’t support the Constitution for many reasons. Some thought a central government wouldn’t care about local problems. Some said it would overwhelm the states and take away the people’s rights. And some feared the government would be taken over by “the few and the great.” Others said the president would have too much power, or that the parts about slavery were immoral. The strongest argument against the document was that it didn’t state the rights of the people.
▲ James Madison became known as the “Father of the Constitution.” He gave speeches and negotiated with delegates. He made compromises and wrote down what happened at the Constitutional Convention. Madison said their plan would “decide forever the fate of republican government.” Other men helped write the Constitution. They included John Dickinson, Edmund Randolph, Roger Sherman, James Wilson, and George Wythe. And Gouverneur Morris put the Convention’s resolutions and decisions into their final form. He actually “wrote” the Constitution.
▲ Samuel Adams and John Hancock (above) were heroes of the Revolution. They were also Anti-Federalists in Massachusetts. But the Federalists won them over. How? By promising to push for a bill of rights as soon as the Constitution passed.
Today, groups put their opinions on TV and the Internet. But back in the 1700s, people used ink and paper or made speeches. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay were in favor of the Constitution. They wrote 85 essays supporting it. These were called The Federalist Papers. Others wrote essays and letters against it. ▼
◀ The Constitution was ratified quickly by Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Then came Georgia and Connecticut. The smaller states saw that strength in numbers was good. Connecticut and New Jersey were angry at New York for taxing the goods they sent to that state. They hoped the new government would fix that. Georgia also wanted help from the new government. It needed to protect its frontier from Indian attacks.
New Hampshire had a hard time deciding. Opponents made the usual arguments against it. And some in the state didn’t like that the Constitution did not end slavery. But in June 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify. The Constitution became the law for those nine states. The Union was established. ▶
◀ Nine states had ratified. But two of the most powerful had not. Many wondered if a country without New York and Virginia could make it. In Virginia, Patrick Henry and other heroes of the Revolution spoke against the Constitution. They wanted it to have a bill of rights. Finally, Virginia ratified in June 1788. The New York convention had mostly Anti-Federalists. Many New Yorkers thought the Union would not succeed without Virginia. Alexander Hamilton was a powerful voice for ratification. New York gave in when Virginia ratified. On July 26, 1788, New York became the 11th state to ratify.
◀ The last two were North Carolina and Rhode Island. North Carolina failed to ratify after two conventions. But, in November 1789, the state approved. Rhode Island voted seven times not to send the Constitution to a state convention. The smallest state finally joined the Union in May 1790. That was more than a year after George Washington had taken office as the first president (left)!
