Ratification


 * Ratification: **
 * **official approval **

**How did the Federalists work to get the Constitution ratified? **


 * they decided that only 9 states had to approve it instead of all 13
 * they argued that only a new government based on the proposed Constitution could overcome the difficulties facing the new nation
 * the nations newspapers strongly supported it
 * James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay wrote essays that supported the ratification in 1787-1788
 * they argued that the state legislatures lacked checks and balances
 * they took advantage of early ratification by some states and kept the momentum
 * they compromised with the Antifederalists by promising to consider a Bill of Rights after ratification

**How did the ratification process work? **
 * each state held a convention were they decided the ratify or not
 * delagates were specially elected to the convention where they ratified the Constitution
 * some of the states debated the new Constitution paragraph by paragraph
 * they then voted and a majority vote was needed to decide

**Federalists: ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Federalists were people who supported ratifying the new US Constitution. They were the people who set everything up for the Constitution and encouraged others to ratify the Constitution.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Some of the famous Federalists were....
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tabstops: list .5in;">Alexander Hamilton
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tabstops: list .5in;">Thomas Jefferson
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tabstops: list .5in;">John Adams
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tabstops: list .5in;">James Madison
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tabstops: list .5in;">John Jay

**<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 18pt;">Antifederalists: **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tabstops: list .5in;">Antifederalists were people who rejected and went against the Constitution. These people did not want to ratify the new Constitution.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Some of the famous Antifederalists were....
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tabstops: list .5in;">George Mason
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tabstops: list .5in;">Edmund Randolph
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tabstops: list .5in;">Elbridge Gerry
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tabstops: list .5in;">Sam Adams
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tabstops: list .5in;">Patrick Henry
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; tabstops: list .5in;">Richard Henry Lee

<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">**Arguments:** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The Antifederalists did not want to ratify the Constitution <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Their reasons included...


 * gave too much power to the national government instead of giving power to the state governments
 * there was no bill of rights
 * national governments could maintain an army at any time
 * states felt that the necessary and proper clause gave too much power to the federal government
 * the executive branch had too much power

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Federalists had answers to all of their complaints


 * <span style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Because power was seperated into three independent branches it protected the rights of the poeple. Each branch represents a different aspect of the people and because all three branches were equal, no one group can assume control over another.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">They thought the disadvantage of having a Bill of Rights would be that only those rights that were listed would be protected and anything not listed wouldn't be protected.

**<span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 18pt;">Fun Fact: ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">George Washington was actually considered neutral during this time, not Federalist or Antifederalist

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