Eleanor Finch
The ratification of the US Constitution was a long and arduous process. The first steps towards ratification began before and during the meeting of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in May 1787. The convention was convened to address the weaknesses of the central government under the Articles of Confederation. The final draft of the Constitution was signed by 39 of the 55 delegates to the convention on September 17, 1787, and was then sent to the states for debate and ratification votes. The Constitution was ratified when the required 9 out of 13 states approved it, with New Hampshire becoming the ninth state to ratify on June 21, 1788. The Constitution included 17 amendments, 10 of which, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791.
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What You'll Learn
The Federalist Papers
The high demand for the essays led to their publication in a more permanent form. On January 1, 1788, the New York publishing firm J. & A. McLean announced that they would publish the first 36 essays as a bound volume; that volume was released on March 22, 1788, and was titled The Federalist Volume 1. New essays continued to appear in the newspapers, with Federalist No. 77 being the last to be published in this form on April 2, 1788. A second bound volume was released on May 28, containing Federalist Nos. 37–77 and the previously unpublished Nos. 78–85. The last eight papers (Nos. 78–85) were republished in the New York newspapers between June 14 and August 16, 1788.
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The Articles of Confederation
Under the Articles, the states retained sovereignty over all governmental functions not specifically delegated to the national Congress. The Congress was empowered to make war and peace, negotiate diplomatic and commercial agreements, and resolve disputes between the states. However, it lacked the power to tax or effectively regulate commerce, leading to economic challenges and difficulties in setting commercial policies.
As the country faced stability issues and governing challenges, leaders recognized the need for a stronger central government. This led to the call for a constitutional convention in 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation and ultimately resulted in the drafting and ratification of the present-day Constitution of the United States.
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The Bill of Rights
The road to the ratification of the US Constitution was a long and arduous process. Until the new Constitution was ratified, the country was governed by the Articles of Confederation, which allowed states to act more like independent, sovereign countries. It became clear to some of America's leaders that future stability required a stronger, more centralized government.
James Madison, then a member of the US House of Representatives, altered the Constitution's text where he thought appropriate. However, several representatives, led by Roger Sherman, objected, saying that Congress had no authority to change the wording of the Constitution. Therefore, Madison's changes were presented as a list of amendments that would follow Article VII. The House approved 17 amendments. Of these, the Senate approved 12, which were sent to the states for approval in August 1789. Ten amendments were approved (or ratified) on December 15, 1791.
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George Washington's influence
Washington's support for the ratification of the Constitution was well-known, and his presence and dignity were key to the success of the Convention. He did not make public statements on the Constitution, but his private letters reveal his support. He wrote to Charles Carter, a planter in Stafford County, Virginia, expressing his opinion on the Constitution. He also wrote to Sir Edward Newenham, stating that the Constitution was "the best constitution that can be obtained...and...this, or a dissolution of the union awaits our choice."
As the president of the Convention, Washington's signature appeared on the document, and Federalists used this to urge others to accept it. His letter of 17 September 1787, written by Gouverneur Morris but signed by Washington, was attached to the Constitution whenever it was printed. In this letter, Washington expressed his support for the Constitution, stating that it was the result of "a spirit of amity and of that mutual deference and concession which the peculiarity of our political situation rendered indispensable."
Washington's influence extended beyond the Convention. He facilitated the ratification of the Constitution in various states, including Virginia, which was believed to be the ninth state to approve the document. He was also elected the first president of the United States under the new Constitution, guiding the new government through the organization of the executive branch and setting precedents for future presidents.
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State-by-state ratification
The ratification of the US Constitution was a long and arduous process. The country was governed by the Articles of Confederation, which was tailored to a newly formed nation of states acting more like independent, sovereign countries. It became clear to some of America's leaders that future stability required a stronger, more centralized government.
The ratification process started when Congress turned the Constitution over to state legislatures for consideration through specially elected state conventions of the people. Five state conventions voted to approve the Constitution almost immediately (December 1787 to January 1788) and in all of them, the vote was unanimous (Delaware, New Jersey, Georgia) or lopsided (Pennsylvania, Connecticut).
Four of the five states to first ratify were small states that stood to benefit from a strong national government that could restrain abuses by their larger neighbours. The process in Pennsylvania, the one large early ratifier, was nothing less than corrupt. The Pennsylvania state assembly was about to have its term come to an end, and had begun to consider calling a special convention on the Constitution, even before Congress had forwarded it to the states. Antifederalists in the state assembly tried to block this move by refusing to attend the last two days of the session, since without them, there would not be enough members present for the state legislature to make a binding legal decision. As a result, extraordinarily coercive measures were taken to force Antifederalists to attend.
The Massachusetts vote also included an innovation with broad significance. John Hancock, who shifted his initial opposition to the Constitution, led the move toward ratification. Satisfied that certain amendments protecting individual rights would be considered by the first new Congress that would meet should the Constitution become law, Hancock's compromise helped carry the narrow victory in Massachusetts and was adopted by every subsequent state convention to ratify (except Maryland).
On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify the Constitution, which officially ended government under the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution became the official framework of the government of the United States of America.
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Frequently asked questions
Ratification of the Constitution refers to the process by which the Constitution was approved by the states and became the official framework of the government of the United States of America.
The first steps towards ratifying the new Constitution occurred before and during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in May 1787. The final draft of the Constitution was signed by 39 delegates to the convention on September 17, 1787, and was then sent to the states for debate and ratification votes.
For the Constitution to become the official framework of the government, it needed to be ratified by 9 out of the 13 states. Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution on December 7, 1787, and New Hampshire became the ninth state to do so on June 21, 1788.
The ratification process was not smooth, with significant opposition in several states. Anti-Federalists raised concerns about the lack of a Bill of Rights and the concentration of power in the federal government at the expense of states' rights. However, Federalists led by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay argued that the Constitution provided a necessary framework for a strong and effective central government. They also addressed people's fears about a federal government and believed that the checks and balances in the Constitution would prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful.
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