NARRATOR: Once the Founders were satisfied with the Constitution, they needed the states to approve it. They decided that 9 out of 13 states would have to ratify the Constitution to make it official. It was a tricky proposition, because the Constitution would essentially take some powers away from the states.

- Some of what they do might be categorized as dirty tricks. In Pennsylvania, the state legislature refuses to call the ratifying convention. And the pro-Constitution forces, who are now calling themselves Federalists, go out and grab these men off the street and drag them into the legislature and lock the door and say, you will make a decision about the ratifying convention.

And so the Federalists spread the rumor to the back country farmers who were attending this convention. They spread the rumor that, if you don't ratify the Constitution, you won't be reimbursed for your expenses for coming to the ratifying convention. So they're not above using political ploys to persuade people to vote "yes."

NARRATOR: Some of the leading Federalists, including Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, wrote a series of pamphlets called The Federalist Papers that strongly defended and explained the importance of the Constitution.

- They also were great propagandists. Hamilton, Madison, and Jay write The Federalist Papers, which are the greatest defense of everything that the Constitutional Convention did, that anyone could have written, [? and ?] the very good talking points in the Conventions. When someone raises an objection, you can turn to Federalist 54 and you can answer that objection.

NARRATOR: Hamilton was at the forefront of many of the Federalist campaigns, especially in New York.

CAROL BERKIN (VOICEOVER): In New York, Hamilton stalls and demands that they read the Constitution clause by clause, because he's waiting to hear if Virginia has ratified. Because if Virginia ratifies, he thinks New York will. And at the very last minute, Hamilton makes a threat that New Yorkers will recognize. He says, "If you don't ratify the Constitution, New York City will secede from New York and we'll form our own state."

Well, where is the port? New York City. And so that wins over a few votes. So the ratifying conventions, like the Constitutional Convention, are fascinating to study. Because they're really models of politics in the 18th century.

NARRATOR: Eventually, 9 other the states ratified the Constitution by June of 1788. In the end, all 13 states would ratify it by 1790.