the ratification debate

THE RATIFICATION DEBATE


• 1. The US Constitution was approved by 39 out of 55 delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787.

• The next step was RATIFICATION. Article VII required 9 out of 13 states to approve the new Constitution.


2. The debates over this new government continued merely changing their location from Philadelphia to each of the 13 new states.


• 3. The debates centered on the proper scope of government. An argument that continues today with Liberals and Conservatives.


• 4. The Ratification Debate led to the rise of political parties in the US.• Those in favor of the new

Constitution were called Federalists. • Those opposed were called Anti-

Federalists


• 5. The Anti-Federalists were led by Patrick Henry, George Mason, Elbridge Gerry, and even Thomas Jefferson


• 6. The Anti-Federalists feared a strong national government:

• It needed a Bill of Rights• Supremacy Clause took away states’ rights• The Power to Tax • The Elastic Clause (Art I S8, Cl 18) was an

independent grant of power that would be abused.


• 7. The leading Federalists decided to be proactive in ratification by writing a series of articles called THE FEDERALIST PAPERS – a series of 85 articles published in New York.


• 8. Who wrote The Federalist Papers?


• 8. The Federalist Papers• James Madison – the Father of the

US Constitution • Alexander Hamilton – the First

Secretary of the Treasury• John Jay – the First US Supreme

Court Chief Justice


• 9. What was the purpose of The Federalist Papers?


• 9. What was the purpose of The Federalist Papers?

• EXPLAIN THE NEW CONSTITUTION, ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT WAS CREATED IN PHILLY, ALLAY FEARS OF THE POPULATION OVER A STRONGER NATIONAL GOVERNMENT, AND DRUM UP SUPPORT FOR RATIFICATION


• The decision to add a Bill of Rights was the last of the many great compromises that forged this new Constitution and sets us on the path to greatness.

FEDERALIST PAPER NO. 51

• As we study the US political system, it is often necessary to go back and read the early documents that serve as the foundation of our government.

• One of these documents is Federalist Paper No. 51.


• This article was devoted to explaining 2 of the Big 6 Constitutional Concepts:

• SEPARATION OF POWERS• CHECKS AND BALANCES

“The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances

Between the Different Departments”

FEDERALIST 51 ASSIGNMENT

• GROUP EXERCISE • 1ST – READ YOUR ASSIGNED PARAGRAPH and Summarize the

Main idea of the assigned paragraph.• 2nd – Discuss the Main Idea among your group• 3rd – Complete the poster including the following information • Main Idea and 1-2 supporting details from the paragraph• One important quote from the paragraph• 5th – Present to the class - Explain how this idea reflects on

the Big 6 Constitutional Principles - Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances

•


• 1. “In order to lay a due foundation for that separate and distinct exercise of the different powers of government, which to a certain extent is admitted on all hands to be essential to the preservation of liberty, . . .”

• What is Madison talking about here?


• 2. “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.”



• 3. “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.“



• 4. “A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.”



• 5. “In republican government, the legislative authority necessarily predominates. . . As the weight of the legislative authority requires that it should be thus divided, the weakness of the executive may require, on the other hand, that it should be fortified. An absolute negative on the legislature appears, at first view, to be the natural defense with which the executive magistrate should be armed. “



• 6. “In the compound republic of America, the power surrendered by the people is first divided between two distinct governments, and then the portion allotted to each subdivided among distinct and separate departments. Hence a double security arises to the rights of the people.”



• 7. “Second. It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers, but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part. If a majority be united by a common interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure.”



• 8. “There are but two methods of providing against this evil: the one by creating a will in the community independent of the majority -- that is, of the society itself; the other, by comprehending in the society so many separate descriptions of citizens as will render an unjust combination of a majority of the whole very improbable, if not impracticable.”



• 9. “Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society.”


the ratification debate

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