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What are federalist arguments for ratifying the Constitution? An argument there were three basic issues, whether the Constitution would maintain the republican government, the national government would have too much power, and the bill of rights was needed in the Constitution.

Federalist Arguments for Ratifying the Constitution

The new Constitution was set to take effect as soon as nine states ratified it. By 1788, nine states had. But supporters of the Constitution were concerned that New York, a large and important state, had not. Among those concerned were James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay. Under the pseudonym Publius, these men wrote a series of articles known collectively as The Federalist, first published one at a time in New York newspapers. (Although perhaps better known as The Federalist Papers ever since Clinton Rossiter published an edition of them under that name, they were originally called simply The Federalist.)

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To persuade opponents of the Constitution—the Antifederalists—to change their minds, the authors of The Federalist wanted to reassure them that the proposed federal government would not compromise the states’ rights of self-government. In Federalist #45, Madison explained that the powers delegated to the federal government under the Constitution were “few and defined,” while those remaining with the states were “numerous and indefinite.” Federal activity would be confined almost exclusively to foreign affairs. The powers reserved to the states, on the other hand, “will extend to all the objects which in the ordinary course of affairs concern the lives, liberties and properties of the people; and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State.”

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"Federalist Arguments for Ratifying the Constitution" History on the Net
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March 28, 2024 <https://www.historyonthenet.com/federalist-arguments-for-ratifying-the-constitution>
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