The Ratification Process

Not often throughout history have nations completely scrapped and replaced their guiding documents just eight years after their formation; however, the United States is not an ordinary country. Often in our early history, we quickly and peacefully resolved conflicts whereas other countries would have taken years to resolve these conflicts through war and bloodbath. The Ratification process provides a perfect example of this peaceful transition. America's first constitution, The Articles of Confederation were drawn up by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777 and adopted March 1, 1781 when Maryland became the final state to ratify it. However, issues with the Articles quickly began to surface after its adoption. These issues included
Larger states wanted to have representation based on population size, and smaller states wanted to have equal representation across all states, no matter the population. The Virginia Plan, written by James Madison and proposed by Edmund Randolph, the governor of Virginia, on May 29, 1787, created ideal conditions for larger states. The Virginia Plan called for a bicameral legislature, where the states would receive representation based on their population size. The Virginia Plan also introduced the concept of the separation of powers. Madison proposed that there be a bicameral legislative branch, an executive branch elected by the legislative branch, and a judicial branch with a similar structure as today. In addition, it introduced checks and balances which were later incorporated into the Constitution. This plan was well received by the larger states especially, but the smaller states were not satisfied with the lack of power they would receive in Congress according to this proposition. As a result, they countered the Virginia Plan with the New Jersey Plan, a document written and presented by William Patterson on June 15, 1787, which favored the smaller states. The governmental structure was similar to the one under the Articles, with a unicameral legislative body where all states received equal representation, regardless of population. This plan seeked to basically revise the Articles
On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the United States Constitution, and it was then passed to the states for ratification. However, the process was far from over. Under the Articles of Confederation, nine of the thirteen states were required to ratify amendments in order to pass them officially. Only five states ratified the original Constitution, not allowing it to become law. In order to get other states who disagreed about a few details on board, a compromise was reached between Massachusetts, South Carolina, and others where if they ratified the Constitution, the government promised to propose amendments to the original Constitution. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, officially making it law of the land. The government followed through with its promise of amendment and sent, what later became known as the Bill of Rights, out to the states to be ratified. And finally, on May 29, 1790, Rhode Island became the thirteenth and final state to ratify the Constitution, completing the arduous task of replacing the Articles of