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The Rocky Road to Ratification - Part I

© Christina Coruth

"Ratification of the Conventions of the nine States shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution" - US Constitution, Article VII

New Hampshire was the ninth state to ratify the Constitution. Yet that was no easy task. While some of the citizenry saw great benefits in a strong federal government, others saw the potential for abuse that would bring the states back under the control of tyrants. The debate over ratification would be fierce and the vote would be close. Persuasive arguments and political maneuvering barely saved the ratification process from defeat in New Hampshire.

Geography and economics formed the pencil that drew the lines separating the Anti-Federalists from the Federalists. Farmers and others involved in agriculture made up the bulk of the population of the Merrimack Valley - the interior of the state. They opposed ratification. Residents of the seacoast and the Connecticut Valley areas tended to favored ratification. Merchants, traders, and professionals populated these areas.

The New Hampshire Anti-Federalist

All of the states suffered economic hardships during, as well as after, the Revolution. New Hampshire was no exception. Farmers, who made up the largest segment of New Hampshire's electorate, fell on hard times. Inflation during the war years and the subsequent depression left many of them unable to secure loans they needed to pay their debts. Foreclosures were commonplace. Many were thrown into debtors prison leaving their wives and children destitute and homeless. They appealed to the state legislature to print more paper money, which they believed would bolster the economy, and alleviate their financial hardships. The legislature refused to do this, even when the towns sent their elected representatives to the General Court (New Hampshire's Legislature) with non-binding instructions to print more paper money. When that failed to get a response, they sent representatives with binding instructions - again to no avail.

On September of 1786, a mob of two hundred armed men led by Moses French of Hampstead surrounded the building in Exeter where the General Court was in session. They threatened to keep the legislators inside the building, starving them if need be, until they approved the printing of more paper money. Two legislators attempted to escape out the back, but were forced to return. Finally, John Sullivan, President of New Hampshire and former general during the Revolution, convinced the mob to settle down with a promise that the legislature would take up the matter. They settled down but continued to hold the members of the General Court captive. The following afternoon, 2,000 militiamen under the command of Colonel Joseph Cilley took the rioters into custody. While none of them received any significant punishment, neither did they accomplish their goal. President Sullivan put forth a paper money printing bill, but attached it to another bill, which he assumed would be defeated. He was correct.

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