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In the spring of 1789, officials elected under the Constitution met in New York to begin the work of organizing the new federal government. The federalists had won the battle for ratification, but the war to establish an accepted and respected federal structure was yet to be won. The opponents of centralized government had been subdued, but not conquered. Issues that had caused heated debate in the Constitutional Convention and in the state ratifying conventions lay just beneath the surface and could be revived easily. Any resurgence could shake the foundation of the new federal edifice.