Ratification of the Constitution
Ratification of the Constitution
The years were 1787 and 1788. The places: “out-of-doors” in newspapers and pamphlets throughout America’s thirteen states and “in-doors” in the state ratifying conventions. Following the Constitutional Convention, a great debate took place throughout America over the Constitution that had been proposed. This is the story of the debate over the ratification of the United States Constitution.
GENERAL OVERVIEW
Introduction to this Web Site by Gordon Lloyd
The Six Stages of Ratification by Gordon Lloyd
Ratification Timeline by Gordon Lloyd
Biographies of the Key Figures by Gordon Lloyd
OUT-OF-DOORS DEBATE
The Federalist Papers
Introduction by Gordon Lloyd
Design of the Federalist Papers by Gordon Lloyd
The Essential Federalist Papers by Gordon Lloyd
The Antifederalists
Introduction by Gordon Lloyd
The Legacy of the Antifederalists by Gordon Lloyd
The Essential Antifederalists by Gordon Lloyd
IN-DOORS DEBATE
In-Depth Studies of the Ratification States:
Massachusetts (Winter 1788)
Introduction by Gordon Lloyd
Day-by-Day Summary by Gordon Lloyd
Massachusetts Ratifying Convention
Collected by Jonathan ElliotVirginia (Summer 1788)
Introduction by Gordon Lloyd
Day-by-Day Summary by Gordon Lloyd
Virginia Ratifying Convention
Collected by Jonathan ElliotNew York (Summer 1788)
Introduction by Gordon Lloyd
Day-by-Day Summary by Gordon Lloyd
New York Ratifying Convention
Collected by Jonathan Elliot
State-by-State Ratification Table
by Gordon Lloyd
Interactive Ratification Maps
Compiled by Gordon Lloyd
and Colleen Garot
Original Sources Used on This Site:
The Debates in the Several State Conventions, on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution, as Recommended by the General Convention at Philadelphia, in 1787
Collected by Jonathan ElliotPennsylvania and the Federal Constitution, 1787-1788
Edited by John Bach McMaster and Frederick D. StoneThe Geographical Distribution of the Vote of the Thirteen States on the Federal Constitution, 1787-8
by Orin Grant LibbyDocuments Illustrative of the Formation of the Union of the American States
Selected, Arranged, and Indexed by Charles C. TansillStoring, Herbert J., editor. The Complete Anti-Federalist, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981.
Allen, W.B. and Gordon Lloyd, editors. The Essential Antifederalist, Lanham, Maryland: Rowland and Littlefield, 2001.
Carey, George W., editor. The Federalist, Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2001.
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