The Constitution Goes to the States

The Constitution Goes to the States

Newspapers in every state printed the Constitution as soon as they could get it.  What readers found was a plan that would create a “federal” system of government, in which a strong national government shared power with the states.  Before long, the entire country was debating the same issues that had kept the convention in session for four long months.

Multiple Choice

Newspapers in every state printed the Constitution as soon as they could get it.

• true

• false

Multiple Choice

a strong national government shared power with the states

• federal system of government

• tyrant system of government

The Federalists 

Supporters of the Constitution called themselves Federalists. The Federalists argued that the Constitution would create a national government that was strong enough to unite the quarreling states into a single republic.

James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay led the Federalist campaign for ratification. In a series of newspaper essays, they recalled the weaknesses of the government under the Articles of Confederation. They showed how the Constitution would remedy those weaknesses by creating a stronger, more effective union of the states.

Multiple Choice

this person did not take lead on the Federalist campaign for ratification.

• Hamilton

• Madison

• Jay

• Jefferson

The Federalist leaders also addressed the fears of many Americans that a strong government would threaten their freedom or take away their rights.  The powers given to the government, they pointed out, were strictly limited.  In addition, those powers were divided among three branches so that no one branch could become too powerful.   The influential articles written by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay were later collected and published as The Federalist Papers.

The Federalist Papers: a series of essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay in support of the ratification of the Constitution by the states] 

Multiple Choice

n a series of newspaper essays, they recalled the weaknesses of the government under the Articles of Confederation.

• Federalist papers

• Newspapers

Multiple Choice

What was the federalist papers?

• in support of the ratification of the Constitution by the states

• in support of the not ratifying the Constitution by the states

The Anti-Federalists

 Anti-Federalists, opponents of the Constitution, found much to dislike about the new plan. Congress, they feared, would burden the country with taxes. They also claimed that the president had power enough to rule like a king, and the judicial branch would overpower state courts.

The Anti-Federalists also complained about what was missing from the plan, primarily that the plan listed the powers of the government but not the rights of the people. Most of all, the Anti-Federalists feared change, and the idea of giving up any state power to form a stronger Union made them uneasy.

After listening to the arguments, Madison wrote that the question facing the nation was “whether the Union shall or shall not be continued. There is, in my opinion, no middle ground to be taken.”

Multiple Choice

Which of the following options was NOT a complaint of Anti-Federalists?

• The three branches of government would make the president ineffective.

• The judicial branch would overpower state courts.

• The president had enough power to rule like a king.