Isabella Carter
The ratification of the US Constitution was not inevitable. Despite the support of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and other experienced leaders, ratification nearly failed due to massive grassroots opposition. The Federalists realised there was insufficient support to ratify the Constitution without a bill of rights, so they promised to support amending the Constitution to add a bill of rights following its adoption. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document, and the Bill of Rights was not ratified to become part of the Constitution until the end of the following year. The capital was not set until July 16, 1790, almost a year and a half after the general elections took place. This article will explore what could have happened if the Constitution had not been ratified.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| The USA would have continued to operate under the Articles of Confederation | The Articles outlined more working as a league of separate entities joined together and not as a unitary body |
| The central government would have had little authority over inter-state matters | The Articles emphasised the sovereignty of the individual states much more than the Constitution |
| The USA would have likely fallen apart into different groups of independent Republics | Some might join with others and violence will likely occur |
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What You'll Learn
- The USA would have continued to operate under the Articles of Confederation
- The country would have been in mortal danger
- The USA would have fallen apart into different groups of independent Republics
- The sovereignty of individual states would have been emphasised
- Congress would have had to ask the states for nearly everything
The USA would have continued to operate under the Articles of Confederation
If the Constitution was not ratified, the USA would have continued to operate under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation were drafted in 1776 and were the first constitution of the United States. They were ratified by the Second Continental Congress in 1781, after the American Revolutionary War had begun. The Articles of Confederation created a loose confederation of states with a weak central government.
The Articles of Confederation outlined a working model of separate entities joined together, rather than a unitary body. The Articles emphasised the sovereignty of individual states, giving them more power than the central government. The central government was only granted authority in international matters, and little power in inter-state matters.
The Constitution was created to fix glaring issues with the Articles of Confederation. For example, Congress had to ask the states for nearly everything. The country was in mortal danger, and the Constitution was created to address this. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until 29 May 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document.
If the Constitution had not been ratified, the USA may have ceased to be and fallen apart into different groups of independent Republics. Some might have joined with others, and violence may have occurred. It is possible that one state would have taken over all the others, for example, Virginia may have become the entire USA.
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The country would have been in mortal danger
If the Constitution had not been ratified, the country would have been in mortal danger. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document. The Bill of Rights was not ratified until the end of the following year. The location of the capital was also not set until July 16, 1790, almost a year and a half after the general elections took place.
The ratification of the Constitution was a highly contested issue, with grassroots opposition to the Constitution despite support from revered figures such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. The Federalists realised there was insufficient support to ratify the Constitution without a bill of rights, so they promised to support amending the Constitution to add a bill of rights following its adoption.
The three most important states to the future of the nation were also the most divided over the Constitution. Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia were essential to the ratification of the Constitution. The final vote was 89-79, so that if 5 votes out of 168 had swung the other direction, Virginia would have rejected the Constitution.
If the Constitution had not been ratified, the country would have been in danger of a military takeover by the federal government. There was an ongoing debate about "the people" fighting governmental tyranny (as described by Anti-Federalists) or the risk of mob rule (as described by the Federalists). The country would also have been in danger of not having a strong central government, as the Constitution provided the framework for the federal government to assume state Revolutionary War debts and thus endow the government with more economic power.
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The USA would have fallen apart into different groups of independent Republics
The Constitution was completed in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 by 55 men who reasoned together to achieve the greatest design of government the world had ever known. Despite the support of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and other renowned patriots, intellectuals, high-ranking Revolutionary War veterans, and state politicians, ratification nearly failed due to massive grassroots opposition.
The Articles of Confederation, which would have been the basis for governing the United States had the Constitution not been ratified, emphasised the sovereignty of the individual states much more than the Constitution did. The central government was designed to be very weak and had few powers beyond defending the states as a group. It did not have an executive official or judicial branch. The Articles of Confederation also did not address the issue of slavery, which would have remained a matter for the states to decide rather than the central government.
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The sovereignty of individual states would have been emphasised
If the US Constitution had not been ratified, the sovereignty of individual states would have been emphasised. The Articles of Confederation, which were established in 1779, created a perpetual union of the states to defend themselves as a group. However, the central government was very weak, with few powers beyond that. The Articles did not provide an executive official or a judicial branch.
The ratification of the Constitution was a highly contested issue, with some states voicing opposition on the grounds that it did not provide protection for rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. The Massachusetts Compromise of February 1788 stipulated that amendments would be immediately proposed to protect these rights, which became the Bill of Rights.
The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document. The Bill of Rights was not ratified until the end of the following year. The location of the capital was also born out of negotiation, with Hamilton seeking passage of the Funding Act so that the federal government could assume state Revolutionary War debts and gain more economic power.
If the Constitution had not been ratified, the individual states would have retained more power and autonomy. The central government would have remained weak, and the states would have had more control over their own affairs. The federal government may not have had the power to assume state Revolutionary War debts, which could have impacted its ability to gain economic power.
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Congress would have had to ask the states for nearly everything
If the Constitution had not been ratified, Congress would have had to ask the states for nearly everything. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document. The Bill of Rights was not ratified until the end of the following year. The location of the capital was also born out of negotiation.
The ratification of the Constitution was not inevitable. It was met with massive grassroots opposition, despite the support of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and other experienced leaders. The Federalists realised there was insufficient support to ratify the Constitution without a bill of rights, so they promised to support amending the Constitution to add a bill of rights following its adoption.
The three most important states to the future of the nation were also the most divided over the Constitution. Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia were essential. If Massachusetts had rejected the Constitution, how could advocates credibly champion it as fulfilling revolutionary principles? The final vote was 89-79, so if 5 votes out of 168 had swung the other direction, Virginia would have rejected the Constitution. In New York, Federalists lost the delegate elections in the spring of 1788, winning less than one-third of the seats in the convention.
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Frequently asked questions
The US government would have been very weak, with few central powers. There would have been no executive official or judicial branch.
The states would have been divided over how to proceed, with some states voicing opposition to the Constitution on the grounds that it did not provide protection for rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press.
The people of the US would have been at risk of mob rule, as described by the Federalists, or governmental tyranny, as described by the Anti-Federalists.
The US economy would have been weaker, as the federal government would not have been able to assume state Revolutionary War debts and endow itself with more economic power.
