New York's participation in the drafting and ratification of the United States Constitution

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1970

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Abstract

Purpose: The intention of this thesis was to study the United States constitutional movement within a confined local scope by (1) examining the role of New York delegates in the drafting of the United States Constitution of 1787 and (2) the eventual ratification of the document by the New York convention in 1788. Methods: The methods used to obtain data for this study were to: (1) consult general works on the political situation in New York immediately prior to and during the constitutional movement; (2) analyze debates in both the Philadelphia Convention and the New York state convention; and (3) evaluate related speeches, letters, and state documents. Findings: 1. The political factions in New York tended to center around two basic economic groups==agrarian and commercial. 2. The political atmosphere of New York in 1787 was such that only a major issue was needed for a serious confrontation between the factions. 3. The contributions of New York toward the drafting of the Philadelphia Constitution were few since Robert Yates and John Lansings were disinclined to compromise. The greatest contribution of their fellow-delegate, Alexander Hamilton, resulted from the psychological effects which his more extreme proposals had on other delegates. 4. Antifederalists were in control of the New York ratification convention until the choice before the delegates became more simply either union or disunion. 5. Ratification by New York was a direct result of the split in that state’s Antifederalist faction,

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United States Contitution, Constitutional movement, ratification, New York delegates role in drafting the Contitution

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