The complete text of the 85 Federalist Papers which explained why the authors believed the new Constitution should be ratified.

This lesson looks at the development of the constitutional government in the United States. Students use technology to explore history concepts.

[Free Registration/Login Required] This website documents the United States through its struggles to become a new nation. Site includes primary source documents for the Articles of Confederation, US Constitutional Convention, and George...

This simulation game set in the 1780s focuses on the ratification of the Constitution.

Documents presented here relate to two seminal events in which Madison played a major role: the drafting and ratification of the Constitution of the United States (1787-1788) and the introduction (1789) in the First Federal Congress of...

Students will consider the arguments made by members of the Continental Congress regarding whether or not to sign the Declaration of Independence. They will also have the opportunity to analyze each section of the Declaration to...

Read about the need for a Bill of Rights to be added to the Constitution. Find out what each of the first ten amendments means.

The new United States government faced many threats to its success. Read this overview of the possible problems.

Discover how the Constitution was initiated and read about the Constitutional Congress. After learning about the beginning stages of the Constitution, take a quiz to show your learning.

Edmund Randolph's notes taken at the state convention of Virginia on ratification of the new Constitution.

Students become one of the famous men who argued for or against ratification of the Constitution. They research and present their argumets to the class, who will then vote whether or not to ratify the new Constitution.

The original text of a statement by John Tyler, member of the Virginia Constitutional Ratifying Convention, on his opposition to the new Constitution.

This speech, "The Address and Reasons of Dissent of the Minority of the Convention of Pennsylvania to Their Constituents," contains some of the arguments for opposing the Constitution.

The original and complete text of the letter approved by the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787 recommending the newly adopted U.S. Constitution to the Congress and the states for ratification.

Presents key ideas for examining how the Articles of Confederation were replaced with the Constitution and the compromises that were reached during debates.

This encyclopedia article from Wikipedia gives some background history to the creation of the Bill of Rights and contains a transcription of the first ten amendments to the Constitution in their original form.

The Federalist Papers were a series of 85 essays that promoted the ratification of the United States Constitution and the nature of a Republican government.

A map from 1872 of the country east of the Mississippi showing the newly formed United States after the ratification of the Constitution in 1789. The map is keyed to show the states at the time and the Spanish territories of West and...

The Anti-federalists, those who opposed the ratification of the Constitution, were a diverse group. They did have specific fears about carrying out the precepts of the Constitution. Read about their fears, especially the main one, no...

This instructional activity looks at the legacy of George Washington, perhaps the most influential leader in the creation of the American nation. Through his achievements as commander-in-chief during the Revolution, in support of the...

A map showing the distribution of votes in the ratification of the Constitution (1787-1790) for the New England States. The map is keyed to show areas where the vote was a Federal majority, where there was an anti-Federal majority, and...

This site is provided for by the University of Groningen. Alexander Hamilton represented the growing movement towards a strong national government. Read the beginning stages of the nationalist movement, the conflicting ideas of state...

Problems with the new government of the United States led to rethinking the rules of governing. Read a brief overview of what the results were.

A chart illustrating the order of states as they ratified the new constitution. Find the delegates from the states, vote, population, and outcomes.