Eleanor Finch
The ratification of the U.S. Constitution was a significant event in the country's history, and it was believed that this process would demonstrate that the new constitution was established by the will of the people rather than by a few political elites. The ratification process aimed to produce a positive result, namely the adoption of the Constitution, which would create a stronger central government with a Congress, President, and national court system.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Stronger central government | A Congress with the power to tax, a President who would act as the nation’s chief executive, and a national court system |
| Unity of the nation | The current government was so powerless that it would soon dissolve either from deteriorating support of the people or from the fact that states would no longer bother to send representatives to the Confederation Congress |
| Established by the will of the people | The ratification process would demonstrate that the new constitution would be established by the will of the people rather than by a few political elites in state legislatures |
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What You'll Learn
- The ratification of the US Constitution was established by the will of the people, not political elites
- The process avoided asking legislators to approve a document that would require them to give up their power
- The Constitution created a stronger central government, including a Congress with the power to tax
- The ratification process would have the best chance of producing a positive result, namely the adoption of the Constitution
- The unity of the nation had been sorely tested under the Articles of Confederation
The ratification of the US Constitution was established by the will of the people, not political elites
The ratification of the Constitution created a stronger central government that included a Congress with the power to tax, a President who would act as the nation’s chief executive, and a national court system. This was seen as a positive development, as the unity of the nation had been sorely tested under the Articles of Confederation. The current government was so powerless that it was feared it would soon dissolve, either from a lack of support from the people or from states no longer bothering to send representatives to the Confederation Congress.
The ratification process demonstrated that the new Constitution would be established by the will of the people, not by a few political elites in state legislatures. This was a crucial step in ensuring that the Constitution would be adopted and that it would have the best chance of producing a positive result.
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The process avoided asking legislators to approve a document that would require them to give up their power
The ratification of the US Constitution in 1788 was a positive step towards a stronger central government, with a Congress that could tax, a President as the nation's chief executive, and a national court system.
The process of ratification was designed to avoid asking legislators to approve a document that would require them to give up their power. Instead of asking state legislatures to ratify the Constitution directly, the framers called upon them to hold ratification conventions. The men attending these conventions were delegates elected by their neighbours to represent their interests. They were not being asked to give up their power but to place limits on the power of their state legislators, whom they may not have elected. This approach demonstrated that the new constitution would be established by the will of the people rather than by a few political elites in state legislatures.
The ratification process was also a way to address the issues with the current government, which was so powerless that it risked dissolving. Washington feared that the government would lose the support of the people or that states would stop sending representatives to the Confederation Congress.
The framers of the Constitution were confident that this ratification process would produce a positive result and that the Constitution would be adopted.
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The Constitution created a stronger central government, including a Congress with the power to tax
The new Constitution gave the central government more authority, with a Congress that had the power to make laws and collect taxes. This was a significant change from the Articles of Confederation, which had given the states too much power and had resulted in a weak and ineffective central government.
The ratification of the Constitution also created a system of checks and balances, with a President who acted as the nation's chief executive and a national court system. This meant that no one branch of government had too much power, and it provided a framework for a more stable and effective government.
The framers of the Constitution were careful to avoid asking state legislators to approve a document that would require them to give up their power. Instead, they called upon state legislatures to hold ratification conventions, where delegates elected by their neighbours would represent their interests. These delegates were not being asked to relinquish their power but to place limits on the power of state legislators.
Overall, the creation of a stronger central government with a Congress that had the power to tax was a positive trait for ratifying the Constitution because it addressed the weaknesses of the previous system and provided a framework for a more stable and effective government.
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The ratification process would have the best chance of producing a positive result, namely the adoption of the Constitution
The Constitution created a stronger central government that included a Congress with the power to tax, a President who would act as the nation’s chief executive, and a national court system. George Washington believed that the unity of the nation had been sorely tested under the Articles of Confederation and that the current government was so powerless that it would soon dissolve. He feared that the government would lose the support of the people or that states would no longer bother to send representatives to the Confederation Congress. The publication of the Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in several New York newspapers is a famous example of a program to explain what the proposed Constitution was and what its design aimed to accomplish.
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The unity of the nation had been sorely tested under the Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation and the Confederation Congress rested on the consent of the states, meaning that changes to the government should have been ratified by the state legislatures. However, by calling upon state legislatures to hold ratification conventions to approve the Constitution, the framers avoided asking the legislators to approve a document that would require them to give up some of their power. Instead, the men attending the ratification conventions were delegates elected by their neighbours to represent their interests. They were not being asked to give up their power; they were being asked to place limits on the power of their state legislators.
The ratification process demonstrated that the new constitution would be established by the will of the people rather than by a few political elites in state legislatures. This was a positive trait for ratifying the Constitution, as it showed that the nation was united in its desire for a stronger central government. The Constitution created a stronger central government with a Congress that had the power to tax, a President who would act as the nation's chief executive, and a national court system.
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Frequently asked questions
Ratifying the constitution would create a stronger central government, including a Congress with the power to tax, a President who would act as the nation's chief executive, and a national court system.
The framers called upon state legislatures to hold ratification conventions to approve the Constitution, avoiding asking the legislators to approve a document that would require them to give up a degree of their own power.
The new U.S. Constitution was ratified on June 21, 1788, when the state of New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify, satisfying the requirement for ratification.
