Section Three The Ratification Process: Federalists, Anti-Federalists, The Federalist Papers, and the Bill of Rights Author: Michelle Williams

Section Three Summary By the end of this section you will… Understand why the ratification of the new constitution was a challenge Know the viewpoints of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists Learn about the Federalist papers and their influence on ratification

Ratification Proves to be a Big Challenge 9 out of 13 states had to ratify for the new constitution to go into affect The ratification would be democratic: state citizens would elect conventions to decide whether or not to ratify Even with all the compromising, large and small states could still not agree Leaders split into two factions 1. the Federalists (pro-ratification) 2. the Anti-Federalists (anti-ratification)

And in this corner… the Anti-Federalists!!! Proponents of a weak national government Did NOT want to ratify the new Constitution Felt that the new Constitution “as-is” was no where near complete

Anti-Federalists Continued… Felt that individual rights were left out (the Constitution had no specific list of individual rights) The Supreme Court could overturn decisions of state courts National Government maintained military forces even during peace time States were stripped of any real power The executive and legislative branch had too much power and too little accountability

And in this corner… The Federalists!! Alexander Hamilton James Madison John Jay Proponents of the Constitution Believed in a strong National Government Knew that state governments would be reluctant to ratify a document that would strip them of power Appealed directly to state citizens through rallies and written propaganda (Federalist Papers??)

Federalists continued… Argued that state legislatures, NOT the people had approved the failed Articles The new Constitution would protect America against tyranny and corruption through its strong system of checks and balances, the three branches of government, and the bi-cameral legislature Did not see a need for an addition of a bill of rights Constitution should remain “as-is” – since the Constitution did not list any specific rights, no rights would be left out

The Federalist Papers Written by James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton A collection of 85 articles written to convince New York state to approve the Constitution James Madison’s papers #10 and #51 would prove to be the most influential and important

The Federalist Papers Continued Federalist #10 “Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires. But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency.” -James Madison

Federalist Papers Continued Federalist #10 Main points of #10 Factions, defined as “any group of citizens who attempt to advance their beliefs or economic status at the expense of other citizens” are dangerous and real threat to liberty A well-formed, strong union can break and control the violence of any faction The US Constitution will provide protection against dangerous factions by uniting the nation’s citizens

Federalist Papers Continued Federalist # 51 “In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” -James Madison

Federalist Papers Continued Federalist # 51 Main points of #51 Humans by nature form alliances around common shared beliefs Different interests must be represented in coalitions, aka alliances made by citizens coming together for the same cause Madison argues that the best and most successful coalitions can only be formed in a large republic united under one form of rule The bigger the republic, the greater the variety of interests, the greater the variety of interests, the larger and more successful the factions

So… what did these “Papers” accomplish?? Probably only played a small role in securing ratification However…. They have a lasting value as an authoritative and inspiring explanation of the Constitution Showed citizens the importance of considering human nature when choosing a method of government Showed that both humans AND government can be corrupted – a form of government must protect against corruption and prevent both citizens and leaders from abusing their power

STILL Not Ratified… What now?? Even with the efforts of men like James Madison, not all states were on the Constitution bandwagon People were still very afraid that all of the rights they fought for in the war were being threatened by the Constitutions open-ended structure The solution? The Framers realized that ratification would NEVER happen without at least the promise of a “bill of rights” – something the framers had been avoiding

Think Ahead… What types of problems do you foresee the framers having when putting together the promised “Bill of Rights?” Do you think that the views of the Federalists or the Anti-Federalists were more representative of mainstream America? Why? Are the views of either group still visible in American politics today?

Interactive notebook activity… You just heard that a bill of rights will be added to the new Constitution. As a concerned citizen, you will write a letter to the Convention expressing what kinds of rights you want represented in this new bill. Explain why you want these specific rights…

References http://www.probe.org/content/view/1114/153/ http://www.jmu.edu/madison/center/main_pages/madison_archives/quotes/great/constitution.htm http://www.constitution.org/fed/federa10.htm http://library.thinkquest.org/11572/creation/framing/feds.html http://www.thirteen.org/federalist/paper51.html