Transcript Section Three The Ratification Process: Federalists, Anti-Federalists, The Federalist Papers,

Section Three
The Ratification Process: Federalists,
Anti-Federalists, The Federalist Papers,
and the Bill of Rights
Author: Michelle Williams
Section Three Summary
 By the end of this section you will…
Understand why the ratification of the new constitution
was a challenge
Know the viewpoints of the Federalists and the AntiFederalists
Learn about the Federalist papers and their influence on
ratification
Ratification Proves to be a Big Challenge
 9 out of 13 states had to ratify for the new
constitution to go into affect
 The ratification would be democratic: state
citizens would elect conventions to decide
whether or not to ratify
 Even with all the compromising, large and small
states could still not agree
 Leaders split into two factions
1. the Federalists (pro-ratification)
2. the Anti-Federalists (anti-ratification)
And in this corner…
the Anti-Federalists!!!
 Proponents of a weak
national government
 Did NOT want to ratify
the new Constitution
 Felt that the new
Constitution “as-is”
was no where near
complete
Anti-Federalists Continued…
 Felt that individual rights were left out (the
Constitution had no specific list of individual
rights)
 The Supreme Court could overturn decisions of
state courts
 National Government maintained military forces
even during peace time
 States were stripped of any real power
 The executive and legislative branch had too
much power and too little accountability
And in this corner…
The Federalists!!
Alexander Hamilton
James Madison
John Jay
 Proponents of the Constitution
 Believed in a strong National Government
 Knew that state governments would be reluctant to ratify
a document that would strip them of power
 Appealed directly to state citizens through rallies and
written propaganda (Federalist Papers??)
Federalists continued…
 Argued that state legislatures, NOT the people had
approved the failed Articles
 The new Constitution would protect America against
tyranny and corruption through its strong system of
checks and balances, the three branches of government,
and the bi-cameral legislature
 Did not see a need for an addition of a bill of rights
 Constitution should remain “as-is” – since the
Constitution did not list any specific rights, no rights
would be left out
The Federalist Papers
 Written by James
Madison, John Jay, and
Alexander Hamilton
 A collection of 85 articles
written to convince New
York state to approve the
Constitution
 James Madison’s papers
#10 and #51 would prove
to be the most influential
and important
The Federalist Papers Continued
Federalist #10
“Liberty is to faction what air is
to fire, an aliment without which it
instantly expires. But it could not
be less folly to abolish liberty,
which is essential to political life,
because it nourishes faction, than
it would be to wish the
annihilation of air, which is
essential to animal life, because it
imparts to fire its destructive
agency.”
-James Madison
Federalist Papers Continued
Federalist #10
Main points of #10
Factions, defined as “any group of citizens who
attempt to advance their beliefs or economic
status at the expense of other citizens” are
dangerous and real threat to liberty
A well-formed, strong union can break and
control the violence of any faction
The US Constitution will provide protection
against dangerous factions by uniting the
nation’s citizens
Federalist Papers Continued
Federalist # 51
“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the
great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control
the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”
-James Madison
Federalist Papers Continued
Federalist # 51
 Main points of #51
Humans by nature form alliances around common
shared beliefs
Different interests must be represented in coalitions,
aka alliances made by citizens coming together for the
same cause
Madison argues that the best and most successful
coalitions can only be formed in a large republic united
under one form of rule
The bigger the republic, the greater the variety of
interests, the greater the variety of interests, the larger
and more successful the factions
So… what did these “Papers” accomplish??
 Probably only played a small role in securing ratification
 However….
 They have a lasting value as an authoritative and inspiring explanation
of the Constitution
 Showed citizens the importance of considering human nature when
choosing a method of government
 Showed that both humans AND government can be corrupted – a form
of government must protect against corruption and prevent both citizens
and leaders from abusing their power
STILL Not Ratified… What now??
 Even with the efforts of men like James
Madison, not all states were on the Constitution
bandwagon
 People were still very afraid that all of the rights
they fought for in the war were being threatened
by the Constitutions open-ended structure
 The solution? The Framers realized that
ratification would NEVER happen without at
least the promise of a “bill of rights” – something
the framers had been avoiding
Think Ahead…
What types of problems do you foresee
the framers having when putting together
the promised “Bill of Rights?”
Do you think that the views of the
Federalists or the Anti-Federalists were
more representative of mainstream
America? Why?
Are the views of either group still visible in
American politics today?
Interactive notebook activity…
You just heard that a bill
of rights will be added to
the new Constitution. As
a concerned citizen, you
will write a letter to the
Convention expressing
what kinds of rights you
want represented in this
new bill. Explain why you
want these specific
rights…
References
 http://www.probe.org/content/view/1114/153/
 http://www.jmu.edu/madison/center/main_pages/
madison_archives/quotes/great/constitution.htm
 http://www.constitution.org/fed/federa10.htm
 http://www.constitution.org/fed/federa10.htm
 http://library.thinkquest.org/11572/creation/framin
g/feds.html
 http://www.thirteen.org/federalist/paper51.html