146 C
HAPTER 5
CONTROVERSIES OVER THE CONSTITUTION
The framers
set up a procedure for ratification that called for each state to
hold a special convention. The voters would elect the delegates
to the convention, who would then vote to accept or reject the
Constitution. Ratification—official approval—required the
agreement of at least nine states. This system largely bypassed
the state legislatures, whose members were likely to oppose the
Constitution, since it reduced the power of the states. It also
gave the framers an opportunity to campaign for delegates in
their states who would support ratification.
Supporters of the Constitution called themselves
Federalists, because they favored the new Constitution’s bal-
ance of power between the states and the national government.
Their opponents became known as Antifederalists because
they opposed having such a strong central government and
thus were against the Constitution.
The Federalists insisted that the division of powers and the
system of checks and balances would protect Americans from
the tyranny of centralized authority. Antifederalists countered
with a long list of possible abuses of power by a strong central
government. These included a fear that the government would
serve the interests of the privileged minority and ignore the
rights of the majority. Antifederalists also raised doubts that a
single government could manage the affairs of a large country.
Their leading argument, however, centered on the
Constitution’s lack of protection for individual rights.
THE OPPOSING FORCES
Leading Federalists included framers
of the Constitution such as George Washington, James Madison,
and Alexander Hamilton. They used their experience and powers
of persuasion to win support for the document they had drafted.
They received heavy support from urban centers, where mer-
chants, skilled workers, and laborers saw the benefit of a national
government that could regulate trade. Small states and those with
weak economies also favored a strong central government that
could protect their interests.
Leading Antifederalists included revolutionary heroes and
leaders such as Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, and Richard Henry
Lee. They received support from rural areas, where people feared
a strong government that might add to their tax burden. Large
states and those with strong economies, such as New York, which
had greater freedom under the Articles of Confederation, also
were unsupportive of the Constitution at first.
Both sides waged a war of words in the public debate over
ratification. The Federalist, a series of 85 essays defending the
Constitution, appeared in New York newspapers between 1787 and 1788. They
were published under the pseudonym Publius, but were written by Federalist lead-
ers Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. The Federalist provided an
analysis and an explanation of Constitutional provisions, such as the separation
of powers and the limits on the power of majorities, that remain important today.
Letters from the Federal Farmer, most likely written by Richard Henry Lee, was
the most widely read Antifederalist publication. Lee listed the rights the
Antifederalists believed should be protected, such as freedom of the press and of
religion, guarantees against unreasonable searches of people and their homes, and
the right to a trial by jury.
“ You are not to inquire
how your trade may be
increased, nor how you
are to become a great
and powerful people,
but how your liberties
can be secured. . . .”
PATRICK HENRY
MAIN IDEA
MAIN IDEA
A
Analyzing
Issues
What were the
Antifederalists’
major arguments
against the
Constitution?
A
A. Answer That
it did not protect
individual rights,
that a single
government
could not gov-
ern such a large
country, and
that there would
be abuse of
power by such a
strong central
government.
“ They . . . divided the
powers, that each
[branch of the legisla-
ture] might be a check
upon the other . . . and
I presume that every
reasonable man will
agree to it.”
ALEXANDER
HAMILTON
