Ratifying The Constitution Dbq Essay

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When the states were first independent, they needed a government to run the country, thus creating the Articles of Confederation. Under The Articles of Confederation, the government was feeble and the country was failing. America was in major debt due to The Revolutionary War, states weren’t paying their federal duties, and Congress was unable to tax the states, which led to the government having no money. The image depicted was Shays Rebellion. Shays Rebellion was an army of Massachusetts farmers, led by Daniel Shays, who had created a rebellion against government, angered by taxes forced upon them. This opened the eyes of the citizens, showing that their government was weak, hence the Constitutional Convention being held. The original goal …show more content…

Although, there was one thing standing in the way, the Anti-Federalists. The Anti-Federalists were people who did not support the Constitution and were against ratifying it. The first states to ratify the Constitution was Delaware, than Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut followed. Massachusetts opposed the idea of the Constitution, but feared if they didn’t ratify they wouldn’t be in the union. Shortly after Maryland, South Carolina and New Hampshire followed. New York and Virginia, two major states with a massive impact, were hesitant to ratify. These states were filled with Anti-Federalist, who feared strong central government, as well as the president becoming dictator or king. In order to persuade the Anti-Federalists, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay created the Federalists Papers. Then finally, enough states had ratified for the Constitution to go in effect, although Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island had not yet ratified. The Anti-Federalists felt that the Constitution needed a Bill of Rights to protect personal freedoms. In response to , the Bill of Rights was created, then finally Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island were satisfied, causing the Constitution to be ratified by all 13

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