The Ratification of the Constitution

The Ratification of the Constitution

In 1787, the Constitution was created to replace the Articles of Confederation, because it was felt that the Articles weren't sufficient for running the country. However, the Constitution was not very well liked by everyone .

The constitution created was very much liked by the majority of the country. This included the farmers, the merchants, the mechanics, and other of the common people. However, there were those who were very important people in the revolution who felt that the Constitution would not work, most notably Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine, who felt they were the backbone of the revolution. Those who opposed the Constitution were deemed anti-federalists. This Constitution decreased the power of the states with less people in it, like Rhode Island... The anti-federalists, which also including George Mason, George Clinton, James Monroe, Samuel Adams, Elbridge Gerry, Robert Yates, Samuel Chase, and Luther Martin, believed that a republican form of government could work on a national scale. They also did not feel that the rights of the individual were properly or sufficiently protected by the new Constitution.

The Constitution that was created had a strong central government and weak state governments. The anti-federalists believed in weak central and strong state governments, as the way it was in The Articles of Confederation. They thought that if the Government got all of the power, they would lose their rights and freedoms. This makes sense, because if the people making the rules live relatively close to you, they will be able to judge better than a house of representatives or a president who is 1000 miles away. They also remembered that from their experiences as British colonists, a federal government can tax, and can tax the people highly. One more reason that they didn't like it is because it didn't contain a Bill of Rights, so it is hard to judge what rights this government is going to give you.

In 1787, if you were a colonist who was well off and a patriot who helped win the revolution, you would not be the first one to jump on the idea of a new form of government from the one you have been using for the past 6 years. This was illogical and unnecessary. Unfortunately the Constitution went through, and in the long run did the country good.