Article VII of the new Constitution said it would take effect once conventions in a set number of states approved it. How many of the thirteen states had to ratify?

Which state was the first to ratify the Constitution, when its convention voted unanimously on December 7, 1787?

On June 21, 1788, one state's convention voted 57 to 47 and became the ninth state to ratify, putting the Constitution into effect. Which state was it?

The Constitution was never put to a nationwide popular vote. Who actually voted on ratifying it in each state?

Supporters of the new Constitution called themselves Federalists. What was their main argument for ratifying it?

Anti-Federalists campaigned against ratifying the Constitution in 1787 and 1788. What was their main objection to the plan?

Anti-Federalists said the Constitution written in 1787 left something out that they demanded be added. What was missing from it?

George Mason attended the Constitutional Convention but refused to sign the finished document in September 1787. What was the first objection he wrote down?

Alexander Hamilton argued that adding a written list of rights was unnecessary. What reason did he give?

Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay wrote a famous series of 85 newspaper essays in 1787 and 1788, signing them Publius. What were those essays meant to do?

Anti-Federalists answered the newspaper campaign with essays of their own, published under pen names such as Brutus.

Massachusetts ratified on February 6, 1788, by the close vote of 187 to 168. What deal brought the doubting delegates over?

Patrick Henry spoke against the Constitution at Virginia's convention in June 1788. He objected to the document's opening words, We the People. What did he say they should have been?

Virginia's convention ratified on June 25, 1788, by only 89 votes to 79. What promise from James Madison helped win that close vote?

Every state convention approved the Constitution by a unanimous vote.

New York ratified the Constitution on July 26, 1788, by 30 votes to 27. What had already happened by the time that vote was taken?

Rhode Island held out until May 1790 and was the last of the thirteen states to ratify. Which other state waited until November 1789, after the new government had already started?

The Constitution set out its own way of being changed. How does an amendment get added?

What does it mean to ratify the Constitution?

Which amendment protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures of their homes and belongings?

The Constitution was written to replace the Articles of Confederation.

Which group supported ratifying the Constitution?

Which group worried the Constitution gave too much power to the national government?

Why did many Anti-Federalists want a bill of rights added to the Constitution?

What are the first ten amendments to the Constitution called?

Who is often called the “Father of the Constitution” and helped write the Bill of Rights?

The Bill of Rights was added after the Constitution was ratified.

Which right is protected by the First Amendment?

Which state ratified the Constitution second, on December 12, 1787, just five days after Delaware?

What is an amendment?

The Bill of Rights lists every possible right a person can have.

Which state ratified the Constitution by a close vote of 89 to 79, becoming the tenth state to join the new government?

Which state was the last of the original thirteen to ratify the Constitution, waiting until 1790?

Which amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms?

Which amendment says people do not have to testify against themselves in a criminal case?

Which amendment protects the right to a speedy and public trial in criminal cases?

Which amendment says the government cannot force people to let soldiers live in their homes in peacetime?

Which amendment forbids cruel and unusual punishment?

Which amendment says powers not given to the national government are reserved to the states or the people?

Why was adding the Bill of Rights important to ratification?