“People could be for the Constitution, or against it, no one was shut down, no one was put in prison if they liked George Washington or they didn’t like George Washington. Just this proliferation, robust, wide-open, uninhibited discourse, up and down the continent!”
Supporters of the new Constitution understood that to win ratification, they must speak out. So, a few weeks after the document was signed, they began writing statements in support of the proposed Constitution.
Their statements appeared first in newspapers in New York. They were called the Federalist Papers. They were published under the name of “Publius.” But they were really written by three men: Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas says he deeply respects the men who wrote the Federalist Papers.
“These are people who were engaged, who knew the Constitution. I also want you to know, these were not scholars. These were farmers. These were businesspeople. Some of whom who had formal education. Some who did not. But they cared about this country.”
Years later, historians said the Federalist Papers were the greatest explanation of the Constitution ever written. But in 1787, they had little effect on public opinion.
The debate over the Constitution divided Americans into two groups. Those who supported it were known as Federalists. Those who opposed it were known as anti-Federalists.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25