7 8 8 ▁rat ification ▁▁ ▁Trans m itted ▁to ▁the ▁Congress ▁of ▁the ▁Confeder ation , ▁then ▁sitting ▁in ▁New ▁York ▁City , ▁it ▁was ▁within ▁the ▁power ▁of ▁Congress ▁to ▁exped ite ▁or ▁block ▁rat ification ▁of ▁the ▁proposed ▁Constitution . ▁The ▁new ▁frame ▁of ▁government ▁that ▁the ▁Philadelphia ▁Convention ▁presented ▁was ▁techn ically ▁only ▁a ▁revision ▁of ▁the ▁Articles ▁of ▁Confeder ation . ▁After ▁several ▁days ▁of ▁debate , ▁Congress ▁voted ▁to ▁transmit ▁the ▁document ▁to ▁the ▁th ir teen ▁states ▁for ▁rat ification ▁according ▁to ▁the ▁process ▁out lined ▁in ▁its ▁Article ▁VII . ▁ ▁Each ▁state ▁legisl ature ▁was ▁to ▁call ▁elections ▁for ▁a ▁" F eder al ▁Convention " ▁to ▁rat ify ▁the ▁new ▁Constitution , ▁rather ▁than ▁consider ▁rat ification ▁itself ; ▁a ▁departure ▁from ▁the ▁constitution al ▁practice ▁of ▁the ▁time , ▁designed ▁to ▁expand ▁the ▁franch ise ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁more ▁clearly ▁em brace ▁" the ▁people ". ▁ ▁The ▁frame ▁of ▁government ▁itself ▁was ▁to ▁go ▁into ▁force ▁among ▁the ▁States ▁so ▁acting ▁upon ▁the ▁appro val ▁of ▁nine ▁( i . e . ▁two - third s ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 3 ) ▁states ; ▁also ▁a ▁departure ▁from ▁constitution al ▁practice , ▁as ▁the ▁Articles ▁of ▁Confeder ation ▁could ▁only ▁be ▁am ended ▁by ▁un anim ous ▁vote ▁of ▁all ▁the ▁states . ▁ ▁Three ▁members ▁of ▁the ▁Convention   – ▁Mad ison , ▁Gor ham , ▁and ▁King   – ▁were ▁also ▁M embers ▁of ▁Congress . ▁They ▁proceeded ▁at