Persona: Journeyman
The debates about whether to ratify the Constitution or not are pretty heated. Decide which side of the debate your persona is on.
Are you a Federalist or an Anti-Federalist?
If you were a loyalist, you have decided to shift your allegiance to the United States, but you remain skeptical about how successful the experiment is.
Please post your initial response and then respond to at lease two other people.
Consider the following issues:
- Are you a person of elite status? Do you think the political participation by ordinary people has gotten out of hand? Do we need to temper the enthusiasms of democratic participation by creating some checks and balances?
- Are you worried that the elites are trying to consolidate power and limit the participation of ordinary people in politics?
- If you produce goods to be sold, do you think having a stronger central government will help make commerce more profitable?
- Are you worried that the focus on commerce will give people living in cities too much power and ignores the needs of ordinary farmers?
- Do you think that having a bicameral legislature (House of Representatives and Senate) would benefit your state? How does the population of your state affect your representation in Congress?
- How would the 3/5th clause affect the number of representatives you have in the House of Representative?
- Do you like the idea of having an Executive Branch to handle issues of diplomacy and make sure the laws are enforced, or are you worried about the possibilities of tyranny?
- Do you think the Judiciary Branch will help resolved conflicts between the states, or are you worried about ceding too much power to a federal government?
- Do you think it is a good idea to allow a federal government to levy taxes? Are you worried that those taxes might not be fair to your state?
Once you have established your position on these issues, try to convince your fellow citizens that ratifying the Constitution will be good for your state, or that the Constitution does not adequately solve the problems with the Articles of Confederation and does not deserve to be ratified.
Here is some population information about your state:
- The ratification information shows you how contentious the issue of ratification is in your state.
- The population information is from the 1790 census (so it is in the future) but it will give you an idea of what the representation of your state will look like if the constitution is ratified.
- The population of enslaved people gives you a sense of whether or not the 3/5ths clause would help or hurt the power of your state in the House of Representatives.
Pennsylvania
Ratified the Constitution: December 12, 1787 FOR: 46 AGAINST: 23
Population 434,373
Enslaved People: 3,737
Seats in the House of Representatives: 8