WI The constitution is not ratified?

What if the constitution was not ratified because the Anti-Federalists took control of 4 states?

What would happen next?
 
I think if you get 9 out of 13, you still get ratification. I'll try and look that up.

Yes, in Article VII, the ratification by nine states establishes the Constitution for the states so ratifying.
 

jahenders

Banned
Then the follow-up depends on the states that didn't ratify. If they're semi-contiguous they might choose to stay in an Articles of Confederation-type system.

Alternately, they might just choose to stand alone at least for a while and just kind of wait and see how this "newfangled constitution thing goes." There's probably a good chance that the dissenters join eventually, but it might change the ramp up to the War of 1812.

I think if you get 9 out of 13, you still get ratification. I'll try and look that up.

Yes, in Article VII, the ratification by nine states establishes the Constitution for the states so ratifying.
 
But you need a good reason for that.

Because the original Articles clearly were total fail, making their replacement vital. And, isn't wanting more fail the strangest thing thing to want more of?
 
Weren't tariffs a really big chunk of national income back then, and perhaps each state's(?) income, too.

I mean, under the Articles of Confederation did some states charge tariffs on the imports of goods from other states?
 
The nine of thirteen is correct from what I recall: New Hampshire was the ninth to ratify on 21 June 1788, making the Constitution the law of the land. The remaining were Virginia (ratified just four days after NH), New York (26 July 1788), North Carolina (significantly later: 21 November 1789), and Rhode Island (29 May 1790, after receiving assurances of a forthcoming Bill of Rights): save for VA and NC, nothing contiguous there.

Given that eleven of thirteen were in the fold by mid-1788, non-ratification doesn't seem likely.
 
Non-ratification would probably require a different Constitution with less successful compromises.

But, yes I could certainly see 9 of 13 ratifying, and 4 staying out.

My GUESS is they try again, and finally come up with something they can all agree with, as the AoC was just unworkable.
 
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