Preview

Ratification Of The Constitution Dbq

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
303 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Ratification Of The Constitution Dbq
When the U.S. constitution was made it there was a long debate over the ratification of the constitution. There were two sides in the debate, the Federalists, who were supporter of the new constitution, and were better, organized than their opponents, and the Federalists had the support of the most respected men in America, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin. The other side of the debate was the Antifederalists, who opposed ratification; although they weren’t as organized as the Federalists they did have some dedicated supporters. One major argument used by the supporters’ side in the debates over the ratification of the U.S. constitution is that there would be disorder without a strong central government. By 1787, most people were

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The major arguments in the debate over the ratification over the U.S Constitution were the rights of individuals verses the rights of the states, the supporters and the opponents, were the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. Both sides the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists are debating to win the support of our nation.…

    • 390 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The framers of the Constitution had an essentially negative view of human nature. Those advocating for a strong, centralized “federal” government, were concerned that a pure democracy could be could be taken over by a populous mob. Those advocating for a limited, weak, central government were concerned that too much power concentrated in a federal structure could lead to tyranny. While the framers approached the crafting of the Constitution from a two different perspectives, they held a common belief about their fellow man: that man with too much power may become corrupt, and will abuse that power at the expense of others.…

    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Do you think it was a good idea to ratify the constitution? At the time it was a big debate deciding whether or not we should ratify the constitution because anti-federalists wouldn’t agree with it unless they got a bill of rights, the first ten amendments, to state what all their rights. Eventually, the federalists who supported the constitution gave them a Bill of Rights. I believe the Constitution was a good decision to ratify because it gave power to the people, made 3 houses so not one person got too much power, and it made improvements from the Articles of Confederation.…

    • 415 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Those in favor of the Constitution called themselves Federalists. Those opposing the Constitution and in favor of more power towards the states called themselves Antifederalists. One strong argument for the Antifederalists side was that the Constitution did not protect the liberties of the people (B). The Constitution did not include a bill of rights which displeased many Americans. When it came time to vote, there were many Antifederalists absent at the polls. Because the Federalists had such figures as Washington and Franklin on their side, as well as organized and aggressive strategies, they were victorious in making the Constitution the law of the United States. The final state to help put this into place was New Hampshire. Even though the majority had voted in favor of the Constitution, some states still opposed it, making them susceptible to succession. Through persuasive speeches and constant campaign, the Federalists won over the final states of New York and Virginia. After a huge demand for a bill of rights from the people, as well as the states of Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York, the new government decided one shall be composed…

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Unlike some of the state legislatures that wrote and voted on their constitutions, the US Constitution was to be ratified by special state constitutional conventions. This virtually made it impossible for Congress to change the Constitution on an impulse or to even abolish it, leaving no room for “democratic despotism”. It also placed sovereignty with the people and not with governmental institutions. This very important principle of sovereignty was carried over from the revolution but seemingly got lost in some of the states’ legislatures. The Constitution considered the people to be the supreme authority. The Federalists were arguing that “sovereignty remained always with the people and government was only a temporary and limited agency of the people.” This principle was made even clearer by the opening words of the Constitution: “We the People of the United States”, leaving no doubt as to where sovereignty rested, and considering the people the “only source of just authority.” With the debate of sovereignty finally put to rest the Constitution was ratified, strengthening the union of thirteen states by embodying republican…

    • 1743 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Alexander Hamilton once said “A nation without a national government is, in my view, an awful spectacle.” The federalist papers are a collections of letters, articles, and essays that set out to change people’s mind about the Constitution. The Federalist papers had contributors like Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison who were in favor of a strong National Government. There was a wide spread outcry that the Constitution would infringe on the authority of the states. In the subsequent paragraphs I will summarize the key points of particular Federalist Papers No.17 and No.45.…

    • 685 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It was the year of 1787 and the country was in conflict. The new constitution had just been written and states were deciding to ratify it (Davidson, 205). This constitution would hopefully protect better than the Articles of Confederation did. As with many other situations, there were two sides; the Federalists and the Antifederalists. Federalists agree with the Constitution while Antifederalists disagree (Davidson, 205). Each side had valid arguments, but the Federalists more so. Federalists argued to support the Constitution because it allots the federal government power over trade and tax, gives each branch checks and balances on one another, and can be changed.…

    • 578 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Founders’ perceptions were that America was weak and de-centralized. They created a weak, confederal government designed to protect people’s liberties by being to small to be a threat, but it was too small to handle national problems. The differences between the Articles of Confederation and the US Constitution are that one, the US Constitution has a Bill of Rights, the power of the president is addressed and the separation of the branches. This changed occurred to make the government stronger and address the nation’s problems. The Anti-Federalists were a large group who didn’t like the Constitution but didn’t know what they wanted yet and they contributed to the branches. The Federalist were defenders of the constitution and they contributed to the bill of…

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever thought of why we have a constitution? Well one reason is, it helps guard against tyranny. The constitution was made in 1787 by a group of 12 to 13 delegates who didn’t want one person or a group of people to get to much power. Some of the things in our constitution that help guard against tyranny are federalism, separation of power, big vs. small states and checks and balances. Federalism guards against tyranny because the states and central government have power they control and power they share.…

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    My Woll Readings

    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The topic of Federalism was debated upon widely during the creation of the Constitution. For example, Federalism was negatively viewed at first because states felt that the federalism would undermine their power and cause a strong central government which would continue the tyranny that the people despised, something which caused them to break away from England in the first place. The passage also brings up desegregation laws that greatly decreased the power of the states since it required the states to conform to the will of the government. This of course angered the states and caused many to wonder how far the power of the government should extend. The passage also talks about the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, which included the inability to raise an Army, no efficient way of raising funding for the government to function, and an overall lack of power. The government had to rely on the states for any control they could exercise and the states often would not help the government. Alexander Hamilton later speaks about the pros to the federal constitution…

    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The two major factions that almost disrupted the developing nation were formulated at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. At this convention, delegates representing all states expect Rhode Island formed a new type of government with the creation of the Constitution. In the ratification process America was divided in two, the federalists and anti-federalists. Federalists were in favor of a strong central government and hence supporting the new Constitution, while anti-federalists were in favor of giving the states a greater amount of power, thus opposing it. The opposition to the Constitution spreads from a mistrust of central government due to the grievances of English monarchy. The rights obtained by the central government took away states’ rights as seen in Sections VIII and X of the Constitution of the United States of American (Document 5). Most people who lived in cities, manufacturers, and northern merchants supported federalist views and most small farmers, southerners and frontiersmen sided with the anti-federalist views. Key federalists included Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, John Marshall, John Jay, and James Madison. In order to promote ratification Hamilton, Jay, and Madison published a series of Federalist Papers, (Document 8). On the anti-federalist…

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One thing that the U.S. Constitution could not run without is Federalism. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and George Washington founded Federalism “divides sovereignty between a centralized state and regional or local states” (Miskelly and Noce, page 114). It was the subject of intense debate during the drafting of the Constitution. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and George Washington founded Federalism by carefully dividing the powers between federal and state government. These men were passionate about the federal system, which was good because they knew what they had to do to make it work. In Federalism, they’re many different types such as Dual Federalism, Cooperative Federalism, and New Federalism.…

    • 926 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Out of all the documents that laid the foundation of our nation's history, the most respected and revered is the Constitution. It outlines the structure of our entire political system and represents the freedom of America in the eyes of many citizens. But just how democratic is the Constitution, and what events led to its drafting and eventual ratification? Was the Constitution created in order to form a more perfect union for the average citizen, or did the Founding Fathers have other, ulterior motives for writing it? The Constitution's conception can be viewed from numerous perspectives, including democratic, hyperpluralist, economic, and political standpoints. Though all such points of view have a certain degree of validity to them, the…

    • 162 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Ratification Debate

    • 685 Words
    • 2 Pages

    People had many different opinions on the ratification of the Constitution. There were Federalists and Anti-Federalists that debated on many topics of the Constitution. The main reasons were: what type of government the United States of America should have, the people controlling our government, and some of the powers they should have. The Federalists were the ones who wanted change. They wanted to make changes to the government that was originally proposed. The Federalists wanted the government to protect the people, but not abuse their powers. They wanted to have the powers divided between the national and the state governments. The Constitution also stated that the government would be divided into three branches: legislative, judicial, and executive. In contrast, the Anti-Federalists wanted the original government that was placed under the Articles of Confederation. The people that debated over these different forms of government wrote about it in what is known as, “The Federalist Papers.” There were many authors that wrote about this debate, but the main ones were: James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton.…

    • 685 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What were the major arguments used by each side (the supporters and the opponents) in the debates over the ratification of the U.S. Constitution?…

    • 1033 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays