Chapter 7, Section 4

1. Chapter 7, Section 4 Ratifying the Constitution Many critics of the Constitution worried that it didn’t have a bill of rights.

2. A Vigorous Battle • 9 out of the 13 states had to ratify the Constitution before it could go into effect • Voters in each state elected delegates to met to decide whether or not to ratify the constitution

3. Heated debate • Federalists: supporters of the Constitution • Antifederalists: opposed the Constitution

4. Federalists • Favored a strong national government • James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay wrote a series of essays called The Federalists Papers • Federalist papers defended the Constitution

5. Antifederalists: • Opposed the Constitution • Felt it made the national government too strong and left the stats too weak • Constitution gave the president too much power

6. Need for a bill of rights • Chief argument made by the Antifederalists against the Constitution was that it had no bill of rights • Federalists argued that the Constitution protected citizens without a bill of rights • Impossible to list all the natural rights of people

7. Need for a bill of rights • Antifederalists argued that if rights were not written in the Constitution it would be easy to ignore them • Several states refused to ratify the constitution unless they got a firm promise that a bill of rights would be added

8. The states vote to ratify • June 1788, 9 states had ratified the Constitution: the new government would go into effect • New York and Virginia, the two of the largest states had not yet ratified • Patrick Henry, (Virginia) strongly opposed the Constitution but Washington Madison and other Virginia federalist prevailed

9. The states vote to ratify • NY ratified one month later Then North Carolina • Rhode Island was the last to ratify

10. “We Have Become a Nation” • The nation celebrated the news that the Constitution was ratified • Americans voted in the first election under the Constitution • George Washington was elected president, John Adams was Vice President

11. Adding a Bill of Rights • The first Congress turned its attention toward adding a Bill of Rights • Amend: change the Constitution

12. The amendment process • An amendment is proposed • 2 ways • 2/3of both house of Congress can vote to propose an amendment • 2/3 of the states can request special conventions to propose amendments • The amendment must be ratified • ¾ of the states must vote for the amendment before it becomes part of the constitution

13. The amendment process • In 200 years only 27 amendments have been approved • 10 of these amendments were added in the first years after the Constitution was ratified

14. Ten amendments • Bill of Rights: first ten amendments proposed by the first Congress in 1789 • James Madison who wrote the amendments , insisted the Bill of Rights do not give Americans any rights they already have the rights listed in the amendments. • They are natural rights, they belong to all humans beings • The Bill of Rights prevents government from taking away these rights.

15. Protecting individual rights • 1st amendment: guarantees freedom of religion, speech, press, petition, and assembly. • 3rd amendment: prevents Congress from forcing citizens to quarter, or house troops in their homes • Amendments 5 through 8 protect citizens accused of crimes and brought to trial

16. Protecting individual rights • Due process: the government must follow the same fair ruled in all cases brought to trial • Trial by jury, defended by a lawyer, speedy trial • Amendments 9 and 10 limit the powers of the federal government to those that are specifically granted in the Constitution