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Lesson 8.3:
Ratifying the
Constitution
Essential Question
What debates occurred during the
development of the Constitution,
and what were the ultimate
results?
Vocabulary
Federalism – a system of government in
which power is shared between the Federal
and the state governments
Federalists – supporters of the Constitution
and a strong federal government
Anti-Federalists – people who opposed the
ratification of the U.S. Constitution and who
wanted a weak federal government
Vocabulary
The Federalist Papers – a series of essays
explaining and defending the Constitution
George Mason – Antifederalist who opposed
the Constitution
The Bill of Rights – the first 10 amendments
to the U.S. Constitution containing a list of
citizens’ rights and freedoms
T-Chart (pg. 235)
Federalists
Anti-Federalists
Focus Questions
1. What are the major differences and
similarities between the Federalists
and Anti-Federalists? (see chart)
2. How did the Federalists respond to
the Anti-Federalists’ attacks?
3. Which statesmen contributed to the
Federalist Papers?
4. Which two Virginians refused to
support the Constitution unless a bill
of rights was added?
Focus Questions
5. What was the significance of the
Bill of Rights?
6. For which reasons did New York and
Virginia approve the Constitution?
7. What were the five freedoms
guaranteed in the Bill of Rights (page
266)
8. Describe Thomas Jefferson’s
Statute for Religious Freedom? What
did it become the basis for?
What We Already Know
In 1787, many Americans still
remembered how hard they had to
fight to regain their rights from a
government that was denying them
their basic rights.
What We Already Know
When the Articles of Confederation
failed to provide a government
strong enough to meet the needs of
the country, state delegates met to
create a new constitution and a more
effective national government.
What We Already Know
Although compromises were reached
on major issues to create a new
constitution, the various debates
showed that the
delegates themselves had strong
differences of opinion about how the
government should work.
Federalists vs Anti-Federalists
From the very beginning, the delegates to
the Constitutional Convention knew that
the most difficult task ahead was to
create a system of government that was
strong enough to protect the rights of the
citizens, but not too strong that it could
not be controlled by the citizens.
Federalists vs Anti-Federalists
The framers of the Constitution
suspected that the people might be
afraid the Constitution would take
too much power away from the
states.
Federalists vs Anti-Federalists
Framers of the Constitution explained
that it was based on federalism,
meaning that the powers of
government are
shared between the
national
government and the
state governments.
Federalists vs Anti-Federalists (Chart)
As expected, a divide developed
between the Federalists, those who
supported the new constitution and
a stronger federal government and
the Anti- Federalists,
those who opposed
a stronger federal
government
Federalists vs Anti-Federalists
Both Federalists and the AntiFederalists believed that the
government was too weak under the
Articles of Confederation.
They disagreed over just how much
power should be taken from
the states and transferred to
the national government.
Federalists vs Anti-Federalists
The leading Federalists were..
James
Madison
Alexander
Hamilton
John
Jay
Federalists vs Anti-Federalists
The leading Anti-Federalists
were..
George
Mason
Patrick
Henry
What the Federalists Wanted (Chart)
• Taking some power from the
states and giving it to the
national government.
• Divide power
among different
government
branches.
• A single person to lead
the Executive Branch.
The Anti-Federalists (Chart)
• The Anti-Federalists were fearful of
any big government.
• They feared a strong
executive might
become king.
• They feared a strong
legislative branch
would lead to an
aristocracy.
The Federalists (Chart)
The Federalists wanted a strong
central government with the powers of
government to be divided between
three branches. They also wanted the
Executive Branch to be strong enough
to enforce federal laws in all
the states, especially the
collection of taxes and
tariffs.
The Federalist Papers
The Federalists wrote
essays to answer the
Anti-Federalists’
attacks. These
essays, known as the
Federalist Papers,
were written by James
Madison, Alexander
Hamilton and John
Jay
The Federalist Papers
In The Federalist papers, the authors
appealed to reason and emotion,
explaining why people should
support ratification. These
essays were published in newspapers,
so all the people could read them.
Federalists vs Anti-Federalists
Most of the newspapers of the time
supported the Constitution.
Even so, there was strong
opposition to ratification of the
Constitution in New York, Virginia.
Massachusetts, North Carolina, and
Rhode Island.
What is the definition of
Federalism?
A. A system of government where the states
have more power then the central
government.
B. A system of government where the central
government has more power then the states.
C. A system of government where the power is
shared between the central government and
the states.
D. A system of government where a king has all
the power.
Which ideas did the Federalists support?
A. A single person would lead the Executive
Branch.
B. The Legislative Branch would have more
power than the Executive Branch.
C. A Bill of Rights should be added to the
Constitution.
D. It divided power among different branches of
government.
E. It gave some state powers to the National
Government
(Choose all that are correct.)
What did the Anti-Federalists support?
A. They opposed a stronger federal
government.
B. They feared a strong executive might
become king.
C. They refused to support the Constitution.
D. They feared a strong legislative branch
would lead to an aristocracy.
(Choose all that apply)
How did the Federalists respond
the Antifederalists attacks?
A. They wrote essays to answer the
Antifederalists attacks.
B. They rewrote portions of the Constitution.
C. They protested in the streets.
D. They outline a new tax system whereby
tariffs between states for certain goods
was suspended.
A series of essays that were written in
support of the new Constitution became
known as?
A. The Great Compromise
B. The Federalist Papers
C. The Virginia Plan
D. The Articles of Confederation
Which of the following statesmen contributed
to the Federalist Papers?
A. John Jay
B. James Madison
C. Alexander Hamilton
D. George Mason
E. A B and C Only
F. All of the Above
The Battle for Ratification
The Delegates to the Constitutional
Convention agreed that to ratify the
Constitution, nine of the thirteen
states would have to vote in favor
of ratification.
The Battle for Ratification
There was strong
opposition to ratification
in Massachusetts, North
Carolina, Rhode Island,
New York, and Virginia.
If some of these states
failed to ratify the
Constitution, the United
States might not survive.
The Battle for Ratification
By June 1788, nine of
the thirteen states
had voted in favor,
and the Constitution
was ratified.
However, four states
had not yet ratified;
Virginia, New York,
Rhode and North
Carolina.
The Battle for Ratification
Without the two most populated
states, Virginia and New York, to vote
for the Constitution, there was no
way for the new country to survive.
The Battle for Ratification
Patrick Henry and George Mason, both
delegates from Virginia, refused to
support the Constitution until a bill of
rights was added.
George
Mason
Patrick
Henry
The Battle for Ratification
James Madison convinced
his fellow Virginians to
ratify the Constitution by
promising that a bill of
rights would be added
later.
With Madison’s promise,
both New York and
Virginia would ratify the
Constitution.
The Battle for Ratification
By the time the Constitution was ratified
most of the states showed an interest in
having a bill of rights.
Many believed a bill of
rights was needed to
protect people
against the power of
the national
government.
Why did the Anti-Federalists dislike the proposed
Constitution?
A. The national government would have more
power than the state governments.
B. The proposed Constitution did not contain
a Bill of Rights
C. The power was divided between the
national government and the states
D. A & B Only
E. All of the Above
Which two Virginians refused to support the
Constitution?
A. Patrick Henry and George Washington
B. James Madison and Thomas Jefferson
C. Thomas Jefferson and William Randolph
D. Georg Mason and Patrick Henry
What was the significance of the Bill of
Rights?
A. It would guarantee the right to vote for all
American people.
B. It would protect people against the power
of the federal (national) government.
C. It would guarantee people could buy
property
D. It would protect people from invasion by
Great Britain
Both Virginia and New York wanted the
Constitution to contain?
A. A division of power among the different
branches of government
B. A bill of rights
C. A strong executive branch
D. More power for the legislative branch
The Bill of Rights
James Madison
opposed a bill of
rights, but feared that
another Constitutional
Convention would
undo much of the work
he had done on the
Constitution up to that
point.
The Bill of Rights
Madison came
prepared to the first
session of the United
States Congress. He
prepared his
amendments to the
Constitution.
The first he introduced
was religious freedom.
The Bill of Rights
Madison’s First
Amendment says
that “Congress shall
make no law
respecting an
establishment of
religion, or
prohibiting the free
exercise thereof.”
The Bill of Rights
Both Jefferson and Madison
were strong supporters of
freedom of religion.
Jefferson’s Statute for
Religious Freedom had
made religious freedom a
right for all Virginians since
1786
The Bill of Rights
The Virginia Statute for Religious
Freedom assured that “no man shall
be compelled to frequent or support
any religious worship, place or
ministry whatsoever,” and that “all
men shall be free to profess, and by
argument to maintain, their opinion in
matters of religion.”
The Bill of Rights
While Jefferson’s
Virginia Statute for
Religious Freedom
assured all
Virginians religious
freedom, it also
banned any type of
tax support for any
religious group.
The Bill of Rights
Although Patrick Henry was strongly
committed to religious freedom,
Henry opposed Jefferson’s plan of
total separation of church and state,
and instead favored tax support of all
recognized religious groups.
What did Thomas Jefferson’s Statute for Religious
Freedom guarantee?
A. It assured all Virginians religious freedom to
practice whatever religion they chose.
B. It also banned any type of tax support for any
religious group.
C. It guaranteed federal aid for construction of new
churches in Virginia.
D. A & B Only
E. All of the Above
The Bill of Rights
James Madison went on to introduce
nine other amendments which were
debated, and edited in Congress.
These ten
amendments to
the Constitution
became our Bill
of Rights.
List the 5 freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights
(see page 266)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Father of the Constitution
No one man did more to bring the
Constitution to life than James Madison.
He worked behind the scenes on the
Virginia plan, promoted
ratification by writing
for the Federalist Papers,
got the state of Virginia to
finally support the
Constitution …and later
wrote the Bill of Rights.