Page 184 - American Stories, A History of the United States

Whose Constitution? Struggle 6.1

for Ratification

6.2
6.4 What issues separated Federalists from Antifederalists during debates over
ratification?
S upporters of the Constitution recognized that ratification would not be easy. 6.3

After all, the convention had been authorized only to revise the Articles.
Instead it produced a new plan that fundamentally altered relations between
the states and the central government. (See Table 6.1.) The delegates dutifully 6.4
dispatched copies of the Constitution to the Congress of Confederation, then meeting
in New York City. That powerless body referred the document to the separate states
without any recommendation. The fight for ratification had begun.

Federalists and Antifederalists

Proponents of the Constitution enjoyed great advantages over the unorganized opposi-
tion. In the contest for ratification, they took no chances. Their most astute move was to
adopt the label Federalist. The term cleverly suggested that they stood for a confederation Federalists Supporters of the
of states rather than for a supreme national authority. In fact, they envisioned a strong Constitution who advocated its
centralized national government able to field a formidable army. Critics of the Constitu- ratification.
tion, who tended to be poorer, less urban, and less well educated than their opponents,
cried foul, but they were stuck with the name Antifederalist, a misleading term that made antifederalists Critics of the
their cause seem a rejection of the very notion of a federation of the states. Constitution who were concerned
The Federalists recruited the most prominent public figures of the day. In every that it included no specific
provisions to protect natural and
state convention, speakers favoring the Constitution were more polished and fully pre- civil rights.
pared than their opponents. In New York, the campaign to win ratification sparked
publication of The Federalist, a brilliant series of essays written by Madison, Hamilton, Quick Check
and John Jay in 1787 and 1788. The nation’s newspapers overwhelmingly supported the How did the Federalists manage
new government. Few journals even carried Antifederalist writings. In some states, the to defeat their Antifederalist
Federalists adopted questionable tactics to gain ratification. In Pennsylvania, for exam- opponents in the debate over the
ple, they achieved a quorum for a crucial vote by dragging opposition delegates into the Constitution?

TABLe 6.1 RevOLUTiON OR ReFORM? THe ARTiCLeS OF CONFeDeRATiON AND THe CONSTiTUTiON COMPAReD

Political Challenge Articles of Confederation Constitution
Mode of ratification or Require confirmation by every state legislature Requires confirmation by three-fourths of state conventions or
amendment legislatures
Number of houses in One Two
legislature
Mode of representation Two to seven delegates represent each state; each state holds Two senators represent each state in upper house; each
only one vote in congress senator holds one vote. One representative to lower house
represents every 30,000 people (in 1788) in a state; each repre-
sentative holds one vote
Mode of election and term Delegates appointed annually by state legislatures Senators chosen by state legislatures for six-year term (direct
of office election after 1913); representatives chosen by vote of citizens
for two-year term
executive No separate executive: delegates annually elect one of their Separate executive branch: president elected by electoral col-
number as president, who possesses no veto, no power to ap- lege to four-year term; granted veto, power to conduct policy
point officers or conduct policy. Administrative functions of and appoint ambassadors, judges, and officers of executive
government theoretically carried out by committee of states, departments established by legislation
practically by various single-headed departments
Judiciary Most adjudication left to state and local courts; congress is Separate branch consisting of supreme court and inferior
final court of appeal in disputes between states courts established by congress to enforce federal law
Taxation States alone can levy taxes; congress funds the common trea- Federal government granted powers of taxation
sury by making requisitions for state contributions
Regulation of commerce Congress regulates foreign commerce by treaty but holds no Congress regulates foreign commerce by treaty; all state regu-
check on conflicting state regulations lations must obtain congressional consent
151