Why were some states unwilling to approve the Constitution?
Asked by: Cassidy Zieme | Last update: June 13, 2025Score: 4.2/5 (73 votes)
Opponents of ratification were called Anti-Federalists. Anti-Federalists feared the power of the national government and believed state legislatures, with which they had more contact, could better protect their freedoms.
Why did some states refuse to approve the Constitution?
The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. Some states voiced opposition to the Constitution on the grounds that it did not provide protection for rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and press.
Why were some states reluctant to accept the Constitution?
Some Antifederalists were upset that the Constitution lacked a religious test for officeholding. Others were concerned that the Constitution failed to guarantee a right to counsel and a right not to incriminate oneself in criminal trials, or to prohibit cruel and unusual punishments.
What were two reasons some states hesitant to approve the Constitution?
Many feared centralized power. Many doubted the ability of Americans to sustain a continental republic. Some Antifederalists were upset that the Constitution lacked a religious test for officeholding.
Why did several states originally refuse to approve the US Constitution?
The Anti-Federalists fought hard against the Constitution because it created a powerful central government that reminded them of the one they had just overthrown, and it lacked a bill of rights. The ratification campaign was a nail-biter.
The Articles of Confederation
Did all 13 states have to approve the Constitution?
Between December 7, 1787, and June 21, 1788, the required 9 of 13 states ratified the Constitution making it the official framework for the government of the United States of America. All 13 states eventually ratified the U.S. Constitution by May 29, 1790.
Which two states rejected the Constitution?
Rhode Island and North Carolina were the only two states to initially vote against the ratification of the Constitution. Rhode Island rejected the Constitution in a popular vote in March 1788, while North Carolina did so in a convention later that same year.
What was the primary reason some states were reluctant to accept the Constitution?
Final answer: The primary reason some states were reluctant to accept the Constitution was because it did not contain a Bill of Rights to protect individual civil liberties.
Why were some states representatives hesitant to ratify the Constitution?
Final answer: States were hesitant to ratify the Constitution due to concerns over the potential for excessive federal power. The First Amendment protects free speech, press, and assembly, while the Eighth protects against excessive bail and cruel punishment. Privacy is not a right included in the Fifth Amendment.
Which 2 things are states never allowed to do per the Constitution?
No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.
Why were some people not in favor of the Constitution?
Some people felt that the Constitution would give the central government too much power and would limit individual freedom.
Which of the 13 colonies did not ratify the Constitution?
The approved Constitution is signed by thirty-nine delegates from twelve states (all but Rhode Island).
Why were some opposed to the Constitution?
The Anti-Federalists
One faction opposed the Constitution because they thought stronger government threatened the sovereignty of the states. Others argued that a new centralized government would have all the characteristics of the despotism of Great Britain they had fought so hard to remove themselves from.
Is God mentioned in the Constitution?
In the United States, the federal constitution does not make a reference to God as such, although it uses the formula "the year of our Lord" in Article VII.
Which states opposed the Constitution?
The Anti-Federalists were strong in the key states of Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia. In North Carolina and Rhode Island they prevented ratification of the Constitution until after the new government had been established.
What power specifically denied the states by the Constitution?
No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title ...
Why were some states hesitant to ratify the Constitution?
The Anti-Federalists opposed the ratification of the 1787 U.S. Constitution because they feared that the new national government would be too powerful and thus threaten individual liberties, given the absence of a bill of rights.
Why did some of the states refuse to ratify the new Constitution?
Some states refused to ratify the Constitution until a Bill of Rights was added because they felt it was necessary to protect citizens against possible abuses of power by the federal government. They wanted specific guarantees of individual rights and limitations on the government's authority.
Why would some colonies not ratify the Constitution?
They feared a large republic in which the government, like the Empire from which they had declared independence, was unresponsive to the people. They also feared that a corrupt senate, judiciary, and executive would conspire to form an aristocracy. Finally, they argued against the absence of a bill of rights.
Why did the majority of states refuse to ratify the Constitution without the addition of a bill of rights?
Antifederalists argued that a bill of rights was necessary because, the supremacy clause in combination with the necessary and proper and general welfare clauses would allow implied powers that could endanger rights. Federalists rejected the proposition that a bill of rights was needed.
What two states did not approve the Constitution until it went into effect?
North Carolina: November 21, 1789. Rhode Island: May 29, 1790 (Rhode Island did not hold a Constitutional Convention.)
Why were some states not eager to adopt the Constitution?
Not all states were eager to ratify the Constitution, especially since it did not specify what the federal government could not do and did not include a Bill of Rights.
Who is the Father of the Constitution?
James Madison, America's fourth President (1809-1817), made a major contribution to the ratification of the Constitution by writing The Federalist Papers, along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. In later years, he was referred to as the “Father of the Constitution.”
Why did some states take longer to ratify the Constitution?
The process took several years. Smaller states like Delaware approved the new Constitution quickly. Large states like New York and Virginia took longer. New York ratified the Constitution only after Virginia had done so, and primarily because it did not want to be the last large state to adopt the new Constitution.