Mr. Dowling
Federalists and Antifederalists

What were the key issues in the debate between the Federalists and the Antifederalists?

Many people feared that the Constitution might give the national government too much power.

Federalists	Antifederalists
John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison	George Mason, Patrick Henry
supported the Constitution	opposed the Constitution (too strong)
Believed the Constitution gave power to the national government without taking power away from the states Favored dividing powers among different branches of government Proposed a single person to lead the executive branch	Fearful of a tyrant Believed a bill of rights needed to be added to the Constitution to protect the rights of the people.

The Federalists Papers-James Madison, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton-essays to defend the Constitution

States began ratifying-9 states were needed for approval

Ratification of the Constitution

The major holdouts (Virginia and New York) ratified when they were told a Bill of Rights would be added.

What state was the first to ratify the Constitution?
When did the Constitution become official?
Which states unanimously ratified the Constitution?

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