It is January 29th. Welcome to Episode 29 of History in a Year. Today, the ink is dry on the Constitution, but the battle is just beginning. We witness the ferocious PR war between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. We watch Alexander Hamilton writing like a man possessed by candlelight to create *The Federalist Papers*, and we see how a strategic case of gout and a promise of a “Bill of Rights” finally convinced the states to sign on the dotted line.
—
STEPHEN:
Welcome to History in a Year: America’s First 250 Years.
LEAH:
Join us every single day as we journey from the Revolution of 1776 to the 250th anniversary of the United States.
STEPHEN:
You can find every episode and join the discussion at PointedWords.com. I’m Stephen.
LEAH:
And I’m Leah.
STEPHEN:
It is January 29th. Welcome to Episode 29. Yesterday, we ended with the signing of the Constitution in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. Thirty-nine men signed it. Benjamin Franklin looked at the sun on Washington’s chair and declared it was “Rising.”
LEAH:
It was a great moment. But here is the reality check: That signature meant absolutely nothing legally.
STEPHEN:
The Constitution wasn’t a law yet. It was just a proposal. It was a suggestion. The delegates had exceeded their authority. They were sent to fix the Articles of Confederation, and instead, they came back with a totally new government.
LEAH:
To make it legal, they needed the people to approve it. Specifically, they needed nine out of the thirteen states to “ratify” it in special conventions.
STEPHEN:
And this triggered the first great political war in American history. It wasn’t Democrats vs. Republicans. It was Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists.
LEAH:
The Federalists were the guys who wrote the document—Washington, Hamilton, Madison. They argued that the country was falling apart (remember the “Rope of Sand”?) and needed a strong central government to survive.
STEPHEN:
The Anti-Federalists were the opposition. And they weren’t just crackpots. These were famous patriots like Patrick Henry, George Mason, and Samuel Adams.
LEAH:
Patrick Henry, the man who said “Give me Liberty or Give me Death,” looked at the Constitution and famously said, “I smell a rat.”
STEPHEN:
He argued that the Constitution was a betrayal of the Revolution. He said, “We fought a war to get rid of a strong central government in London. Why are we creating a new one in Philadelphia?”
LEAH:
The Anti-Federalists had three main arguments.
Number 1: The President looks too much like a King. He has no term limits. He has command of the army. That’s a tyrant waiting to happen.
Number 2: The Congress is too far away. How can a man in a capital city understand the needs of a farmer in rural Georgia?
And Number 3—the big one: Where is the Bill of Rights?
STEPHEN:
This was their strongest point. The Constitution laid out what the government *could* do (tax, declare war), but it didn’t list what the government *could not* do. There was no guarantee of free speech, no freedom of religion, no trial by jury.
LEAH:
The Federalists argued that a Bill of Rights wasn’t necessary because the government only had the powers listed. But the people didn’t buy it. They wanted it in writing.
STEPHEN:
The debate raged in the newspapers. And in New York, the Anti-Federalists were winning. New York was a crucial state, and its Governor, George Clinton, hated the Constitution.
LEAH:
Alexander Hamilton realized he was losing the PR war. He needed to change the narrative. He needed to explain *why* this government was safe.
STEPHEN:
So, in October 1787, while riding on a sloop down the Hudson River, Hamilton came up with an idea. He would write a series of essays defending the Constitution. He would explain every single clause to the American people.
LEAH:
He recruited two partners: John Jay (a brilliant diplomat) and James Madison (the father of the Constitution).
STEPHEN:
They wrote under a pseudonym: “Publius.” This was common back then. It was a reference to Publius Valerius Publicola, a hero of the Roman Republic.
LEAH:
The speed at which they wrote is almost unbelievable. They wrote 85 essays in six months. That is roughly four essays a week.
STEPHEN:
John Jay got sick early on and only wrote 5. James Madison wrote 29, which include some of the most famous ones like *Federalist No. 10* and *No. 51*.
LEAH:
But Hamilton? Hamilton wrote 51 essays. He wrote like he was running out of time.
STEPHEN:
These essays are known today as *The Federalist Papers*. They are considered the third most important document in American history, after the Declaration and the Constitution.
LEAH:
In *Federalist No. 51*, Madison gave us the famous line about human nature: “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”
STEPHEN:
He argued that the system of “Checks and Balances” would keep the government safe. Ambition would be made to counteract ambition. The President would check the Congress, and the Courts would check them both.
LEAH:
While Hamilton and Madison were writing, the states started voting.
STEPHEN:
Delaware was the first. On December 7, 1787, they voted 30-0 to ratify. That’s why Delaware’s license plates say “The First State.”
LEAH:
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut followed quickly. That was five. They needed four more.
STEPHEN:
But then they hit a wall. Massachusetts.
LEAH:
Massachusetts was the home of Shays’ Rebellion. The western part of the state was full of angry farmers who hated the government. And the eastern part was controlled by two legends of the Revolution: Samuel Adams and John Hancock.
STEPHEN:
Both Adams and Hancock were skeptical of the Constitution. Without them, Massachusetts would vote “No,” and the whole thing would die.
LEAH:
So, the Federalists came up with a strategy. It’s called the “Massachusetts Compromise.”
STEPHEN:
They went to John Hancock. Now, you have to know something about Hancock. He was vain. He loved popularity. And he was currently suffering from a convenient case of “gout” which kept him at home so he didn’t have to take a side.
LEAH:
The Federalists visited him and made him an offer. They said, “John, if you support ratification, we will support you for Vice President of the United States. And… if Virginia doesn’t ratify and Washington can’t run… you might even be the first President.”
STEPHEN:
Hancock’s gout miraculously cured itself! He marched into the convention wrapped in flannel bandages and gave a dramatic speech supporting the Constitution.
LEAH:
But he added a condition. He said, “We should ratify the Constitution *now*, but with a recommendation that a Bill of Rights be added *later*.”
STEPHEN:
This was the key. “Ratify now, Amend later.” It allowed the Anti-Federalists to save face. They could vote “Yes” while still fighting for their rights.
LEAH:
With this compromise, Massachusetts voted “Yes” by a tiny margin: 187 to 168.
STEPHEN:
The dominoes started to fall. Maryland and South Carolina voted “Yes.” That made eight. They needed one more.
LEAH:
On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify. Legally, the Constitution was now the law of the land.
STEPHEN:
But practically, it wasn’t over. Virginia and New York—the two biggest, richest states—still hadn’t joined. A United States without Virginia or New York would be like a sandwich without bread.
LEAH:
In Virginia, it was a clash of titans. Patrick Henry vs. James Madison.
STEPHEN:
Patrick Henry was arguably the greatest orator of his age. He spoke for hours, raising fears of tyranny. He said the President would enslave the people.
LEAH:
Madison wasn’t a great speaker. He was quiet. But he was relentless. He had the facts. He countered Henry point by point. And he used the “Massachusetts Compromise.” He promised, “If you ratify, I personally promise to write a Bill of Rights in the first Congress.”
STEPHEN:
That promise won the day. Virginia ratified by 89 to 79.
LEAH:
Finally, it came down to New York. The Anti-Federalists outnumbered the Federalists 46 to 19 at the start of the convention. It looked hopeless.
STEPHEN:
But then news arrived that New Hampshire and Virginia had ratified. Alexander Hamilton stood up and said, essentially, “Guys, the ship is sailing. The Union has been formed. You can either get on board, or you can be left behind as an isolated little country surrounded by the United States.”
LEAH:
New York City threatened to secede from New York State if they didn’t ratify. The pressure was too much. On July 26, 1788, New York squeaked by with a vote of 30 to 27.
STEPHEN:
It was done. The “War of Words” was over. The Federalists had won.
LEAH:
But the Anti-Federalists actually won something huge too. Because of their resistance, we got the Bill of Rights.
STEPHEN:
The first ten amendments—freedom of speech, religion, the press, the right to bear arms, protection from search and seizure—were all added in 1791 to fulfill the promise Madison made.
LEAH:
So, the document we have today is really a blend of both sides. The structure is Federalist, but the protections are Anti-Federalist.
STEPHEN:
The old government—the Articles of Confederation—quietly turned out the lights. It was time to start the new machinery.
LEAH:
But a machine needs an operator. And there was only one man in the world that everyone agreed could turn the key.
STEPHEN:
Join us tomorrow for Episode 30. The First Inauguration. We travel to New York City (the first capital) to watch George Washington take the oath of office on a balcony on Wall Street. We see him invent the job of President on the fly, and we hear the surprising words he added to the end of the oath.
LEAH:
I’m Leah.
STEPHEN:
And I’m Stephen.
STEPHEN:
You can find every episode at PointedWords.com. And this… is our story.