Simone Lawson
The United States Constitution was ratified on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to approve the document. The ratification process, however, was a long and contentious one. The Constitution was drafted at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and it was agreed that it would require ratification by nine of the 13 existing states. The process sparked a national debate between Federalists, who supported the Constitution, and Anti-Federalists, who opposed it, primarily over the relative power of the state and federal governments and the need for a Bill of Rights. The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, argued that the Constitution provided a necessary framework for a strong, effective central government, while Anti-Federalists, including Patrick Henry, feared the concentration of power at the federal level and the absence of protections for individual liberties. The promise to add a Bill of Rights eventually helped sway skeptics in several states, and the Constitution was gradually ratified by the required number of states.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of states required for ratification | 9 out of 13 |
| First state to ratify | Delaware |
| Date of first ratification | December 7, 1787 |
| Final state to ratify | New Hampshire |
| Date of final ratification | June 21, 1788 |
| Date ratified by all states | May 29, 1790 |
| Date the Bill of Rights was ratified | December 15, 1791 |
| Date of the first federal elections | December 15, 1788 |
| Date of the official implementation of the Constitution | March 4, 1789 |
| First President | George Washington |
| First Vice President | John Adams |
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What You'll Learn
Ratification by nine states
The ratification process sparked an intense national debate between two factions: the Federalists, who supported the Constitution, and the Anti-Federalists, who opposed it. The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, argued that the Constitution provided a necessary framework for a strong, effective central government capable of unifying the nation, protecting against foreign threats, and managing domestic affairs. They believed that the checks and balances built into the Constitution would prevent any one branch of government from becoming too powerful. George Washington, though against political parties and divisions, fully supported the ratification of the Constitution.
The Anti-Federalists, on the other hand, feared that the Constitution concentrated too much power in the federal government at the expense of states' rights. They also criticized the absence of a Bill of Rights, arguing that the Constitution did not adequately protect individual liberties. Patrick Henry, for example, feared that the newly created office of president would place excessive power in the hands of one man. He also disapproved of the federal government’s ability to tax its citizens, believing that this right should remain with the states. Other Anti-Federalists, such as Edmund Randolph of Virginia, disapproved of the Constitution because it created a new federal judicial system.
The Federalist Papers, a series of 85 essays written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay under the pseudonym "Publius", were a key tool for the Federalists in articulating arguments in favor of ratification and addressing Anti-Federalist concerns. Each state held a special convention to debate and vote on ratification, and the process was far from smooth, with significant opposition in several states.
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State conventions
The ratification of the US Constitution was a lengthy process that involved state conventions and intense national debates between Federalists and Anti-Federalists. The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, supported the Constitution, arguing that it provided a necessary framework for a strong, effective central government capable of unifying the nation, protecting against foreign threats, and managing domestic affairs. On the other hand, Anti-Federalists, including Patrick Henry, George Mason, and Samuel Adams, opposed the ratification, fearing that the Constitution concentrated too much power in the federal government at the expense of states' rights and lacked a Bill of Rights to protect individual liberties.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention, which took place from May to September 1787, with George Washington as president, understood the challenges of obtaining ratification. They decided that the method of ratification would be through state conventions rather than existing state legislatures. This decision was made because it would be politically easier to obtain ratification from ad hoc state conventions, and it would also ensure that the new federal Constitution represented the will of the people directly, making it superior to any specific legislature.
Each state held a special convention to debate and vote on ratification, and the process was often challenging, with significant opposition in several states. Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution unanimously on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania and New Jersey with relatively little opposition. However, the debate was intense in states like Massachusetts, where Anti-Federalists raised concerns about the lack of a Bill of Rights. The Federalists secured ratification by promising to support amendments, and Massachusetts narrowly ratified the Constitution on February 6, 1788.
By June 1788, eight states had ratified the Constitution, and New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it on June 21, 1788, ensuring that the Constitution would go into effect. However, key states like Virginia and New York had yet to ratify, and their participation was crucial for the legitimacy of the new government. Virginia, a leading state, eventually ratified the Constitution on June 25, 1788, after Federalists agreed to recommend a Bill of Rights. New York followed on July 26, 1788, after a narrow debate, influenced by Virginia's decision.
The promise of a Bill of Rights was a significant outcome of the ratification debates, and it helped persuade delegates in many states to support ratification. James Madison took the lead in drafting the amendments, and ten amendments, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791, guaranteeing fundamental freedoms such as speech, religion, and the press, as well as protections against government overreach.
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Federalist Papers
The Federalist Papers are a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the collective pseudonym "Publius". The collection was written to promote and explain the ratification of the United States Constitution, specifically targeting readers in New York.
The Federalist Papers were written and published in New York newspapers, primarily the Independent Journal and the New York Packet, between October 1787 and August 1788. The essays urged New York delegates to ratify the Constitution, explaining in detail the particular provisions of the Constitution and how the proposed new government would function.
The Federalist Papers were written in response to the Anti-Federalist Papers, a series of articles and public letters that criticized the new Constitution. The first 77 Federalist essays were published serially, with the last eight being republished in New York newspapers between June and August 1788. A compilation of these 85 essays was published in two volumes in March and May 1788.
The Federalist Papers are important because they offer insight into the intentions of key individuals who debated the elements of the Constitution. Federal judges, when interpreting the Constitution, frequently use The Federalist Papers as a contemporary account of the intentions of the framers and ratifiers. By 2000, The Federalist had been quoted 291 times in Supreme Court decisions.
The process of ratifying the U.S. Constitution involved several steps and players. The Constitutional Convention, comprising delegates from 13 states, drafted the Constitution in Philadelphia in 1787. The Convention sought to amend the existing Articles of Confederation, which governed the country at the time. The new Constitution aimed to create a stronger, more centralized government.
The delegates at the Constitutional Convention determined that ratification required the approval of nine out of the 13 states, ensuring representation of a majority of citizens. This was achieved on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island approved the document. The Bill of Rights, comprising the first ten amendments, was ratified on December 15, 1791.
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Anti-Federalists
The Anti-Federalists were a late-18th-century political movement that opposed the creation of a stronger US federal government and later opposed the ratification of the 1787 Constitution. Led by Patrick Henry of Virginia, they believed that the position of president might evolve into a monarchy. They advocated for a more decentralised form of government with greater protections for individual rights and stronger representation for the states. They were particularly strong in the key states of Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia.
The Anti-Federalists believed that the Constitution, as drafted, would lead to a loss of individual liberties, an erosion of state sovereignty, and the potential for the rise of tyranny. They wanted to protect the interests of rural areas and farmers, arguing that the Constitution would be oppressive and that the national government would be too far removed from the people and their localities. They also believed that the federal government's powers to tax provided by the Constitution could be used to exploit citizens and weaken the power of the states.
In response to the Anti-Federalists' demands for a bill of rights, the Federalists agreed to consider amendments to be added to the new Constitution. This helped ensure that the Constitution would be successfully ratified. James Madison, a Federalist and the primary architect of the Constitution, introduced draft proposals of what would become the first ten amendments of the United States Constitution, including the Tenth Amendment, which reinforced the reservation of powers to the states or the people.
The Anti-Federalists published a series of articles and delivered numerous speeches against the ratification of the Constitution, known collectively as The Anti-Federalist Papers. They believed that almost all executive power should be left to the country's authorities, while the Federalists wanted centralised national governments. They also believed that a large central government would not serve the interests of small towns and rural areas, as opposed to the urban interests that most Federalist delegates aligned with. Generally, Anti-Federalists were more likely to be small farmers than lawyers and merchants and came from rural areas.
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Bill of Rights
The process of ratifying the U.S. Constitution was a complex and lengthy endeavour, with several key steps and requirements. One of the first steps towards ratification was the drafting of the Constitution itself by delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. This convention was convened due to concerns that the young nation was on the brink of collapse due to disputes between the states and the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, which served as the first constitution. The Articles of Confederation lacked enforcement powers and could not regulate commerce or print money.
The delegates at the Constitutional Convention, including George Washington, sought to create a stronger central government that could address these issues. They bypassed the state legislatures and called for special ratifying conventions in each state, as they believed the legislators would be reluctant to give up their power. The delegates also wanted the Constitution to be ratified by a majority of both states and citizens, so they required ratification by nine of the thirteen states.
The next step in the ratification process was for each state to hold conventions to either accept or reject the Constitution. These conventions served as a public forum for debate and helped inform citizens about the proposed new government. The first state to ratify was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. The ratification process was not without opposition, with some states voicing concerns that the Constitution did not adequately protect certain rights.
The tide turned in Massachusetts, where a "vote now, amend later" compromise helped secure ratification and eventually led to the approval of the Constitution by the required nine states. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify, ensuring that the Constitution would be enacted. However, the process of amending the Constitution to include a Bill of Rights was still ongoing. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island approved it, and the Bill of Rights, consisting of ten amendments, was not ratified until December 15, 1791.
The Bill of Rights was a crucial component of the Constitution, addressing concerns about the protection of citizens' freedoms and rights. The process of including it in the Constitution began with the Massachusetts Compromise in February 1788, which stipulated that amendments would be proposed to address these concerns. James Madison introduced 17 amendments, of which Congress adopted twelve to send to the states for ratification. The final ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791, becoming an integral part of the Constitution and safeguarding individual liberties.
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Frequently asked questions
Nine out of the 13 existing states were required to ratify the US Constitution.
Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
The Constitution was ratified by every state by May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island approved the document.
