Eleanor Finch
The U.S. Constitution was ratified on 21 June 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth and final state to ratify the document, making it the law of the land. The process of ratification began in 1787, when the Constitutional Convention convened at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The new U.S. Constitution, which created a strong federal government with a system of checks and balances, was signed by 38 of the 41 delegates present at the conclusion of the convention.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of ratification | 21 June 1788 |
| Number of states required for ratification | 9 |
| Number of states that ratified the Constitution | 13 |
| First state to ratify the Constitution | Delaware |
| Last state to ratify the Constitution | New Hampshire |
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What You'll Learn
The Articles of Confederation
The next step in ratification occurred in the Constitutional Convention itself when the delegates determined the method most likely to ensure their proposal’s adoption. With Rhode Island not even represented in the Convention and New York likely to oppose any significant transfer of power from the states to Congress, the delegates knew that the unanimity requirement of the Articles would doom any hopes of ratification. The delegates felt it necessary to obtain majorities of both states and people. Ratification by seven small states might not provide a majority of people. On 31 August, the delegates decided (by a vote of eight states to three) that nine states would be appropriate to implement the Constitution among the ratifying states—nine was the number of states necessary in the Confederation Congress to adopt important matters such as borrowing money, declaring war, ratifying treaties, and admitting new states into the Union.
Beginning on 7 December, five states—Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut—ratified the Constitution in quick succession. However, other states, especially Massachusetts, opposed the document, as it failed to reserve undelegated powers to the states and lacked constitutional protection of basic political rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. In February 1788, a compromise was reached under which Massachusetts and other states would agree to ratify the document with the assurance that amendments would be immediately proposed. The Constitution was thus narrowly ratified in Massachusetts, followed by Maryland and South Carolina. On 21 June 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth and last necessary state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, thereby making the document the law of the land.
The Constitution's Ratification: Who Wanted It and Why?
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The Constitutional Convention
The U.S. Constitution was ratified on 21 June 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth and final state necessary to ratify the document. This followed the Constitutional Convention, which took place at Independence Hall in Philadelphia from 25 May to 17 September 1787. The convention was moderated by George Washington, and the new constitution was signed by 38 of the 41 delegates present.
The delegates at the convention knew that the unanimity requirement of the Articles of Confederation would make ratification difficult, as Rhode Island was not even represented and New York was likely to oppose any significant transfer of power to Congress. The delegates decided that obtaining majorities of both states and people was necessary for ratification. On 31 August, they voted that nine states would be needed to ratify the constitution.
Five states—Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut—ratified the constitution in quick succession. However, other states, particularly Massachusetts, opposed the document due to a lack of protection for states' rights and basic political rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. A compromise was reached in February 1788, under which Massachusetts and other states agreed to ratify with the assurance that amendments would be proposed immediately.
North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the constitution in November 1789, and Rhode Island, which had opposed federal control of currency and criticised the compromise on slavery, was the last of the original 13 colonies to join the United States on 29 May 1790.
Federalists' Push: Ratifying the Constitution
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The Compromise
Rhode Island, which had opposed federal control of currency and was critical of the compromise on the issue of slavery, resisted ratifying the Constitution until the U.S. government threatened to sever commercial relations with the state. On May 29, 1790, Rhode Island voted by two votes to ratify the document, and the last of the original 13 colonies joined the United States.
Rhode Island's Ratification: A Constitutional Turning Point
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The Ratifying States
The U.S. Constitution was ratified on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth and final state necessary to ratify the document. This followed a Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, where 38 of 41 delegates signed the new Constitution, which created a strong federal government with a system of checks and balances.
The process of ratification was not straightforward, with some states opposing the document. Rhode Island, for example, was against what it saw as an ignoble concession to slavery in the Constitution. The delegates at the convention knew that the unanimity requirement of the Articles of Confederation would make ratification difficult. They decided that nine states would be appropriate to implement the Constitution among the ratifying states. This was the number of states necessary in the Confederation Congress to adopt important matters such as borrowing money, declaring war, ratifying treaties, and admitting new states into the Union.
Five states—Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut—ratified the Constitution in quick succession. However, other states, especially Massachusetts, opposed the document as it failed to reserve undelegated powers to the states and lacked constitutional protection of basic political rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. A compromise was reached in February 1788, under which Massachusetts and other states agreed to ratify the document with the assurance that amendments would be immediately proposed. The Constitution was then narrowly ratified in Massachusetts, followed by Maryland and South Carolina.
North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution in November 1789. Rhode Island, which had resisted ratifying the Constitution due to its opposition to federal control of currency and its criticism of the compromise on slavery, finally voted to ratify the document on May 29, 1790, under threat of severed commercial relations with the U.S. government.
The Constitution and Georgia: A Ratification Story
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The Amendments
The U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788, but the document was not complete without the Bill of Rights. On September 25, 1789, the first Congress of the United States adopted 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which were then sent to the states for ratification. Ten of these amendments were ratified in 1791.
The ratification of the amendments was not without its challenges. Rhode Island, for example, resisted ratifying the Constitution until the U.S. government threatened to sever commercial relations with the state. Rhode Island was critical of the federal control of currency and the compromise on the issue of slavery. However, on May 29, 1790, Rhode Island voted to ratify the document, and the last of the original 13 colonies joined the United States.
The Power to Ratify Treaties
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Frequently asked questions
Nine states were required to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
Five states ratified the Constitution in quick succession: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut.
Twelve states ratified the Constitution, with Rhode Island being the last of the original 13 colonies to join the United States.
The U.S. Constitution was ratified on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth and final necessary state to ratify it.
The U.S. Constitution was ratified to address defects in the post-Revolutionary War Articles of Confederation, such as the lack of central authority over foreign and domestic commerce.
