APPROVING THE CONSTITUTION

GOT A PLAN BUT NOT A GOVERNMENT American leaders had come up with a plan for government but… It had to be ratified (approved) by ALL states They compromised so we should be good right?

WRONG! NOT EVERYONE LIKED THE PLAN Many people who were involved in the compromise had serious concerns about the government. The new written constitution was debated

THE MAJOR ISSUES Power taken from states and given to national government Powerful states not happy (New York, Virginia) Fear over government being too powerful Many feared a repeat of the issues with the British Rights for the People Many wanted a guarantee that people would have certain rights

FEDERALISTS Pro-Constitution Wanted to ratify the Constitution Believed it set up the government to be unable to get too much power and therefore people had rights Federalist Papers written to explain why the constitution should be approved Alexander Hamilton James Madison John Jay

ANTIFEDERALISTS Anti-Constitution (ratification) Feared the government was getting too much power Believed it necessary to add a Bill of Rights to the Constitution, laying out all the rights people had Support of rural areas fearing government power and big states with a lot of power to lose. Patrick Henry Samuel Adams George Mason