Lesson 4-3: Ratifying the Constitution

Question 1

How long did it take to draft the Constitution?

Answer 1

Four months

Question 2

What was the reaction to the Constitution when newspapers printed it for the public?

Answer 2

Shock; there were many radical changes, if not a complete revision, of the Articles of Confederation

Question 3

How did the public’s reaction almost backfire against the Founding Father’s hopes to unite the nation?

Answer 3

The public started to differ in opinion about the Constitution and disputes broke out.

Question 4

The framers of the Constitution created a procedure for the states to ratify the Constitution. What were the steps of this procedure?

Answer 4

1) Voters in each state would elect the delegates to the convention
2) The delegates would then accept or reject the Constitution

Question 5

Ratification

Answer 5

Official approval

Question 6

The Constitution required how many states to ratify it?

Answer 6

9 out of 13

Question 7

The system bypassed _____________. Why?

Answer 7

State legislatures; they would likely reject the Constitution
- The Constitution technically reduced the power of the states (which had more power under the Articles of Confederation)

Question 8

Federalists

Answer 8

Supporters of the Constitution

Question 9

What did the Federalists specifically favor about the Constitution?

Answer 9

Its balance of power between the state and national government

Question 10

Antifederalists

Answer 10

Those who opposed the Constitution

Question 11

Why did the Antifederalists oppose the Constitution?

Answer 11

They thought having a strong centralized government would take away the rights of the states and individual rights.

Question 12

What did the Federalists argue that a system of checks and balances and the division of powers would do?

Answer 12

Protect the country from the tyranny of a strong centralized authority.

Question 13

What did the Antifederalists counter on this point?

Answer 13

• That a strong centralized government could…
  1) Serve the interest of wealthy factions and ignore the rights of the majority
  2) Not handle the affairs of such a large country

Question 14

Leading argument of the Antifederalists

Answer 14

The Constitution does not provide protection of individual rights.

Question 15

Who were some leading Federalists?

Answer 15

1) Alexander Hamilton
2) George Washington
3) James Madison
4) John Adams

Question 16

Who supported the Federalists and why?

Answer 16

• Merchants, laborers, skilled workers; because a strong central government could regulate trade.
• Small states with weak economies; a strong central government could look out for their interests.

Question 17

Who were some leading Antifederalists?

Answer 17

1) Richard Henry Lee
2) Samuel Adams
3) Patrick Henry

Question 18

Who supported the Antifederalists and why?

Answer 18

• Rural areas; a strong central government might add on to their tax burdens.
• Large states; wanted to preserve their power that was given to them by the Articles of Confederation

Question 19

The Federalist/Federalist Papers

Answer 19

A series of 85 essays defending the Constitution that appeared in New York newspapers between 1787 and 1788.

Question 20

Who wrote the Federalist Papers?

Answer 20

1) John Jay
2) James Madison
3) Alexander Hamilton

Question 21

Under what pseudonym were the Federalist Papers written?

Answer 21

Publius

Question 22

What was the main goal of the Federalist Papers?

Answer 22

To explain and provide an analysis on the Constitutional provisions on the separation of powers, individual rights, and the limits on the power of the majorities.

Question 23

What was initially the most widely read Antifederalist publication?

Answer 23

Letters from the Federal Farmer; most likely written by Richard Henry Lee

Question 24

What content was within Letters from the Federal Farmer?

Answer 24

A list of rights that the Antifederalists believed should be protected, including…
1) Freedom of speech, press, and religion
2) Prohibition of unreasonable seizures and searches of people and their homes
3) The right to a trial by jury

Question 25

What is true about the initial Constitution of the United States of America?

Answer 25

It technically did not provide a guarantee that the government would protect the rights of the people.

Question 26

What two points did the Federalists raise against the Antifederalists' opposition towards the Constitution?

Answer 26

1) The national government was only given a limited amount of power in the Constitution 2) The people were able, according to the Constitution, to elect their own trustworthy representatives and leaders who would protect their rights.

Question 27

What ended up happening with the Bill of Rights?

Answer 27

It was added to the Constitution in order for the states to ratify the documents; the Federalists yielded.

Question 28

What state led the country in ratifying the Constitution?

Answer 28

Delaware; December 1787

Question 29

What state fulfilled the requirement for the ratification of the Constitution, and when did this occur?

Answer 29

New Hampshire; June 1788

Question 30

What states had not voted at this time, which were desperately needed by the new government?

Answer 30

Virginia and New York

Question 31

When did New York ratify the Constitution?

Answer 31

July 26, 1788; the vote was 30 to 27

Question 32

When did Rhode Island accept the Constitution?

Answer 32

1790

Question 33

When did the Constitution become reality?

Answer 33

1789

Question 34

When were the first twelve amendments to the U.S. Constitution submitted?

Answer 34

September 1789

Question 35

In December 1791, three-forths of the states ratified ten of the twelve amendments, and these became known as what?

Answer 35

The Bill of Rights

Question 36

What two documents influenced the Bill of Rights?

Answer 36

1) The Virginia Declaration of Rights, 1776 (influenced the Declaration of Independence) 2) The Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom, 1786 (written by Thomas Jefferson)

Question 37

The Virginia Declaration of Rights

Answer 37

One of the first calls for American independence

Question 38

The Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom

Answer 38

Jefferson argues that citizens have the right to worship freely without interference or persecution from the government.

Question 39

What do the first eight amendments have to do with?

Answer 39

The individual rights and liberties that citizens are entitled to; these were pushed for by the states.

Question 40

What do the ninth and tenth amendments have to do with?

Answer 40

The general limits on the powers of the federal government.

Question 41

The First Amendment

Answer 41

Guarantees citizens' right of freedom of speech, press, religion, and political activity

Question 42

The Second and Third Amendments

Answer 42

Second: Right to bear arms as a member of a militia of citizen-soldiers Third: The right to prevent the government from housing troops in private homes in peacetime

Question 43

The Fourth through Eighth Amendments

Answer 43

Guarantee fair treatment for individuals suspected or accused of crimes.

Question 44

The Ninth Amendment

Answer 44

The people's rights are not restricted to only what is stated in the U.S. Constitution

Question 45

The Tenth Amendment

Answer 45

The people and states have all of the powers that are not given to the national government or denied to the states governments within the Constitution.

Question 46

What groups of people were excluded from the protections of the Bill of Rights?

Answer 46

1) Native Americans and slaves; due to discrimination by whites 2) Women; traditionally were not given the same rights as men, and therefore were ignored in the Constitution

Question 47

Some free blacks were allowed to vote. Where did this occur?

Answer 47

Northern states

Question 48

What did the flexibility of the U.S. Constitution allow it to be?

Answer 48

A model for governments around the world.

Question 49

The U.S. Constitution is the ____________.

Answer 49

Oldest written national constitution still in use.

Question 50

What section of the Constitution allows the changing needs of Americans to be met?

Answer 50

Article I, Section VIII; which allows Congress to makes laws that will execute the powers that the Constitution outlines.

Question 51

What is this clause referred to as?

Answer 51

The "elastic clause," because it stretches the power of the government.

Question 52

How many amendments have been added to the Constitution?

Answer 52

27

Question 53

How many amendments gave more American citizens the right to vote?

Answer 53

4

Question 54

Which amendment, passed in 1865, banned U.S. slavery?

Answer 54

The Thirteenth Amendment

Question 55

Which amendment, passed in 1868, made former slaves citizens of the United States and the states in which they lived?

Answer 55

The Fourteenth Amendment

Question 56

The Fifteenth Amendment, ratified in 1870, accomplished what?

Answer 56

It gave voting rights to African American males

Question 57

How did many states find ways to work around the Fifteenth Amendment?

Answer 57

Poll taxes; a tax that had to be paid before a person could vote.

Question 58

Which amendment, ratified in 1964, abolished poll taxes?

Answer 58

The Twenty-Fourth Amendment

Question 59

The Nineteenth Amendment, ratified in 1920, accomplished what?

Answer 59

It gave American women the right to vote.

Question 60

Who were two women that worked especially hard to see voting rights given to women?

Answer 60

Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Question 61

What was the most recent voting rights amendment? When was it passed, and what did it do?

Answer 61

The Twenty-Sixth Amendment; 1971; it gave citizens 18 years or older the right to vote. - Previously, the voting age was 21 years or older

Question 62

Why was the Twenty-Sixth Amendment ratified?

Answer 62

During the Vietnam War, young Americans were "distressed" at the fact that they were eligible for the draft at age 18, but could not vote for the leaders making military decisions.