THE RATIFICATION PROCESS. Article VII, the final article of the Constitution, required that before the Constitution could become law and a new government could form, the document had to be ratified by
nine
of the thirteen states.
How many of the 13 states had to approve a law before it was enacted?
4. Congress needed
9 of 13
states to pass any laws. Requiring this high supermajority made it very difficult to pass any legislation that would affect all 13 states.
How many states out of the thirteen had to vote in favor of a law inorder to have it passed under the Articles of Confederation?
Nine states
needed to vote for the Constitution for it to be accepted. Each state was given six months to meet and vote on the proposed Constitution. On December 7, 1787, Delaware was the first state to vote in favor of, or ratify, it.
How many states had to vote to pass a law how many states had to agree to amend or change the Articles of Confederation how could or did this prove problematic?
The Articles required unanimous consent to any amendment, so all
13 states
would need to agree on a change.
Did all 13 states ratify the Constitution?
The
Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790
, when Rhode Island finally approved the document, and the Bill of Rights was not ratified to become part of the Constitution until the end of the following year.
What powers did states have under the Articles of Confederation?
Enforcing laws, regulating commerce, administering justice, and levying taxes
were powers reserved to the states.
What rights did the states have under the Articles of Confederation?
Each state held “
its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right
, which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled.” The Congress, the primary organ of the new national government, only had the power to declare war, appoint military …
How many states did it take to pass a law under the Articles of Confederation?
Congress needed
9 of 13
states to pass any laws.
What was a major problem with the central government under the Articles of Confederation?
One of the biggest problems was that
the national government had no power to impose taxes
. To avoid any perception of “taxation without representation,” the Articles of Confederation allowed only state governments to levy taxes. To pay for its expenses, the national government had to request money from the states.
Why was the Articles of Confederation a failure?
Ultimately, the Articles of Confederation failed because they
were crafted to keep the national government as weak as possible
: There was no power to enforce laws. No judicial branch or national courts. Amendments needed to have a unanimous vote.
Which states did not ratify the Constitution?
Rhode Island
was the only state not to send delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Then, when asked to convene a state convention to ratify the Constitution, Rhode Island instead sent the ratification question to individual towns asking them to vote.
What would have happened if the Constitution was not ratified?
If it did not ratify the Constitution, it would be
the last large state that had not joined the union
. Thus, on July 26, 1788, the majority of delegates to New York’s ratification convention
What were 3 problems with the Articles of Confederation?
Congress did not have the power to regulate foreign and interstate commerce. There was no executive branch to enforce any acts passed by Congress. There was no national court system or judicial branch.
Amendments to the Articles of Confederation required a unanimous vote
.
What did government look like under the Articles of Confederation?
The Articles of Confederation established
a weak national government comprising a one-house legislature
. The Congress had the power to declare war, sign treaties, and settle disputes between states, though it could not tax its states or regulate trade.
Who had the most power under the Articles of Confederation?
Created to unify the 13 colonies, the Articles nevertheless established a largely decentralized government that vested most power in
the states and in the national legislature
.
