USA HISTORY

MAKING OF A NEW NATION 1776 1800

THE RATIFICATION OF THE CONSTITUTION AND THE NEW US GOVERNMENT

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Why did three of the delegates refuse to sign the Constitution on September 17, 1787?
A
They had already left Philadelphia for their home states
B
They thought it was too long
C
It didn’t include a Bill of Rights
D
They had wanted an American king
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -One of the most famous reasons for why certain delegates didn’t sign was that the document lacked a legitimate Bill of Rights which would protect the rights of States and the freedom of individuals. Three main advocates of this movement were George Mason, Elbridge Gerry, and Edmund Randolph.

Detailed explanation-2: -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.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Federalists opposed including a bill of rights on the ground that it was unnecessary. The Anti-Federalists, who were afraid of a strong centralized government, refused to support the Constitution without one.

Detailed explanation-4: -To ensure ratification of the document, the Federalists offered concessions, and the First Congress proposed a Bill of Rights as protection for those fearful of a strong national government. The Bill of Rights came into effect in December 1791, after ratification by three-fourths of the state legislatures.

Detailed explanation-5: -The fifty-five delegates who met in Philadelphia between May 25 and September 17, 1787, would not only reject the Articles of Confederation altogether, but they would produce the first written constitution for any nation in the history of the world.

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