Jonah Patel
The purpose of ratifying the Constitution was to create 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. The framers of the Constitution believed that without the ability to maintain and command an army and navy, impose taxes, and force the states to comply with laws passed by Congress, the young nation would not survive for very long. The promise that a bill of rights would be drafted for the Constitution persuaded delegates in many states to support ratification.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Create a stronger central government | To avoid the government dissolving due to lack of support or states no longer sending representatives to the Confederation Congress |
| Create a Congress with the power to tax | To maintain the nation's survival |
| Create a President who would act as the nation's chief executive | To avoid placing excessive power in the hands of one man |
| Create a national court system | To ensure the nation's unity |
| Maintain and command an army and navy | To ensure the nation's survival |
| Impose taxes | To ensure the nation's survival |
| Force the states to comply with laws passed by Congress | To ensure the nation's survival |
| Add a bill of rights to protect citizens' freedoms | To persuade delegates in many states to support ratification |
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What You'll Learn
The relative power of the state and federal governments
The greatest point of contention when it came to ratifying the Constitution was the relative power of the state and federal governments. The framers of the Constitution believed that without the ability to maintain and command an army and navy, impose taxes, and force the states to comply with laws passed by Congress, the young nation would not survive for very long. However, many people resisted increasing the powers of the national government at the expense of the states. For example, Virginia's Patrick Henry feared that the newly created office of president would place excessive power in the hands of one man.
The Articles of Confederation and the Confederation Congress had rested on the consent of the states, so changes to the nation's government should have been ratified by the state legislatures. Instead, 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 men attending the ratification conventions were delegates elected by their neighbours to represent their interests. They were not being asked to relinquish their power but to place limits upon the power of their state legislators, whom they may not have elected in the first place.
George Washington believed that the Constitution should be ratified because the unity of the nation had been sorely tested under the Articles of Confederation. He feared that 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. While the Constitution was not perfect, it 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.
The Constitution's Ratification: A Collective Effort by Individuals
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The ability to maintain and command an army and navy
The framers of the Constitution believed that the young nation would not survive for very long without the ability to maintain and command an army and navy. This was a key reason why the Constitution was ratified.
The Articles of Confederation and the Confederation Congress had rested on the consent of the states, and changes to the nation's government should have been ratified by the state legislatures. However, the framers avoided asking the legislators to approve a document that would require them to give up a degree of their own power. Instead, they called upon state legislatures to hold ratification conventions to approve the Constitution. The men attending the ratification conventions were delegates elected by their neighbours to represent their interests. They were not being asked to relinquish their power; in fact, they were being asked to place limits upon the power of their state legislators, whom they may not have elected in the first place.
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 considered necessary to maintain the unity of the nation, which had been sorely tested under the Articles of Confederation. Washington, for example, feared that 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.
The promise that a bill of rights would be drafted for the Constitution also persuaded delegates in many states to support ratification.
The Founding Question: Ratification of the Constitution by 13 Colonies
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The power to impose taxes
However, many people resisted increasing the powers of the national government at the expense of the states. They were concerned that the newly created office of the president would place too much power in the hands of one man.
To address these concerns, the framers called upon state legislatures to hold ratification conventions to approve the Constitution. 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.
The promise of a bill of rights to protect citizens' freedoms also persuaded delegates in many states to support ratification.
The Constitution Ratified: What Happened Next?
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The power to force states to comply with laws passed by Congress
The framers of the Constitution believed that without the power to force states to comply with laws passed by Congress, the young nation would not survive for very long. They believed that the ability to maintain and command an army and navy, impose taxes, and force the states to comply with laws passed by Congress was essential for the nation's survival.
The ratification of the Constitution created a stronger central government, with Congress given the power to tax, a President who would act as the nation's chief executive, and a national court system. This was a significant shift from the Articles of Confederation, under which the unity of the nation had been sorely tested due to the powerlessness of the central government.
The framers of the Constitution recognised that the ratification would require the states to give up some of their power. To address this, they called upon state legislatures to hold ratification conventions to approve the Constitution. The men attending these conventions were delegates elected by their neighbours to represent their interests. They were not being asked to relinquish their power but to place limits on the power of their state legislators.
The promise of a bill of rights to protect citizens' freedoms was also a factor that persuaded delegates in many states to support ratification. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson corresponded about the need for a bill of rights, with Jefferson expressing his concerns that such a bill was necessary to protect citizens' freedoms.
Hamilton's Constitution: Ratification and Legacy
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The creation of a stronger central government
The ratification of the Constitution was intended to create a stronger central government. The framers of the Constitution believed that without the ability to maintain and command an army and navy, impose taxes, and force the states to comply with laws passed by Congress, the young nation would not survive for very long. The Constitution created a Congress with the power to tax, a President who would act as the nation’s chief executive, and a national court system.
The greatest sticking point when it came to ratification was the relative power of the state and federal governments. Many people resisted increasing the powers of the national government at the expense of the states. For example, Virginia’s Patrick Henry feared that the newly created office of president would place excessive power in the hands of one man.
However, the framers of the Constitution believed that 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. 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 a degree of their own power. Instead, the men attending the ratification conventions were delegates elected by their neighbours to represent their interests.
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Frequently asked questions
Many people were concerned about increasing the powers of the national government at the expense of the states. For example, Virginia's Patrick Henry feared that the newly created office of president would place excessive power in the hands of one man.
The unity of the nation had been sorely tested under the Articles of Confederation. Some people, including George Washington, feared that the current government was so powerless that it would soon dissolve. 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.
Since the authority inherent in the Articles of Confederation and the Confederation Congress had rested on the consent of the states, changes to the nation's government should also have been ratified by the state legislatures.
The promise that a bill of rights would be drafted for the Constitution.
