Ratifying the Constitution
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Done in state conventions
- 9 states needed for ratification
Federalists supported and Anti-Federalists Opposed
The main issues were:
- How much power should be given to the national government?
- No Bill of Rights in the Constitution
Why no Bill of Rights?
- Included in state constitutions
- Problem of lists
- Implications for rights not listed
- Could hobble government
- Delegates exhausted
- Some rights were included in the Constitution
Federalist Advantages
- Had a positive plan—the Constitution
- The most popular and able people were Federalists
Federalist Strategy
- Proposed adding a Bill of Rights later
- Media Blitz—Federalist Papers
- Success in first nine states reduced opposition in the last four
Ratification Results
- Delaware the first state to ratify
- New Hampshire the ninth in June, 1788
- Virginia and New York were still essential. Votes were close:
- Virginia—187 to 168
- New York—83-79
- North Carolina voted no and then had another convention and voted yes
- Rhode Island did not have a convention until 1790
Copyright 2008,
by the Contributing Authors.
Cite/attribute Resource.
factpetersen. (2007, October 15). Ratifying the Constitution. Retrieved November 23, 2009, from Free Online Course Materials — USU OpenCourseWare Web site: http://ocw.usu.edu/university-studies/u-s-institutions/ratifying-the-constitution.
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