1. The Constitution gets
Rats, Ticks, and Flies
…oops, I mean
“Ratified”

2. South Carolina & Ratification
• South Carolina’s delegates didn’t like
everything that was put into the
Constitution, but they supported it anyway.
• The ratifying convention was held in
Charleston even though the capital was now
Columbia (we’ll get to that later).
– This allowed the Lowcountry elite (who tended
to be Federalists) to have more impact on the
convention than those from the Upcountry (who
tended to be Anti-Federalists)

3. Anti-Federalist Arguments
• Anti-Federalists opposed a strong
central/federal government.
• They feared too much power in the
hands of the elite and that the rights of
the individuals would be abused.
• They also were afraid that the
government would be too far away for
them to have any impact on it.

4. Federalist Arguments
• The country needed a strong
government so it could be more
influential in foreign affairs,
establish trade relationships with
other countries, and become
financially stable.

5. And the winner was….
• The Anti-Federalists
– Well, only if you count the fact that they got to stay in
the United States and get all of the benefits of the
United States eventually becoming known as the
greatest country on the planet.
• In reality,
– The Federalists won, the Constitution was ratified in
South Carolina making it the 8th state to join the United
States of America.
– “Voting Breakdown”