How long did it take to ratify the Constitution?
Critical Analysis
According to the data in the table above, on what date did the U.S. Constitution become the law of the land?
According to the data in the table above, what state had the largest population at the time of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution?
According to the data in the table above, three states unanimously approved the U.S. Constitution. Which states had the biggest opposition to the ratification of the Constitution.
After America won her independence, the new country was governed by the Articles of Confederation, a document that attempted to build a nation out of the states. Under the Articles of Confederation the states acted more like independent, sovereign countries than as one united country. Why did the states reject the Articles of Confederation and join together to write a new Constitution?
Much like Americans today, the delegates at the Constitutional Convention were politically divided. Those who craved a stronger national union were known as Federalists; those who wanted power to be concentrated at the state level so as to counter a tyrannical central government, were called Anti-Federalists. Explain whether you would have been a federalist or an anti-federalist?
According to the data from the table above, even after New Hampshire’s ratification made the Constitution the law of the land, some of America’s biggest and most powerful states (Virginia and New York) barely ratified the Constitution. Why did some of the states hesitate to ratify the Constitution?
Imagine that the ratification vote in New York changed by only 4 votes and was not approved. How would that have altered the history of the U.S. and what would the U.S. be like today?
The Federalist Papers were written as an argument for ratification of the Constitution. You will study Federalist No. 10, No. 51, No. 70, and No. 78 this year (Yay, Federalist Papers!) The Papers were published on May 28, 1788. Why do you think they were published then?
In the end the Federalists compromised with the Anti-Federalists, adding a Bill of Rights - guaranteeing individual liberties for all - to the Constitution in order to secure ratification. Explain how that constitutional compromise has impacts American politics today.
Some would argue that the U.S, Constitution and the government it created were not powerful enough to solve the biggest problems of our times, such as Covid-19 and the climate crisis. In general, given the magnitude of the problems we face today, do you think the Constitution gives the government too little or too much power?
Learning Extension
Learn more about the day the Constitution was ratified at the National Constitution Center.
Action Extension
There is a legal way to create a new constitution. Today, 34 of the 50 state legislatures would need to apply in order for Congress to call a constitutional convention. Contact your state legislators and ask them to propose a new constitutional convention!