Isabella Carter
The United States Constitution was ratified by the required number of states on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to approve the document. The Constitution was drafted by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, who voted to approve it on September 17, 1787. However, before it could become the law of the land, it had to be ratified by the states. Article VII of the Constitution required ratification by nine of the 13 states, and this was achieved when New Hampshire's ratification made the document the official framework of the US government. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island approved it, and the Bill of Rights was added at the end of the following year.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of approvals needed for the ratification of the Constitution | 9 out of 13 states |
| First state to ratify the Constitution | Delaware |
| Date of first ratification | December 7, 1787 |
| States that followed Delaware's lead | Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina |
| Ninth state to approve the Constitution | New Hampshire |
| Date of New Hampshire's approval | June 21, 1788 |
| Date of final ratification | May 29, 1790 |
| State that approved the document last | Rhode Island |
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution was ratified by nine of the 13 states
The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, making it the official framework of the government of the United States of America.
The ratification process was not without opposition. Some states voiced concerns that the Constitution did not provide adequate protection for rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. This led to calls for a bill of rights, and some states refused to ratify the document without one. The lack of a bill of rights was a particularly significant issue in Virginia, as the Virginia Declaration of Rights was the most extensive rights-granting document among the states.
The promise that a bill of rights would be drafted and added to the Constitution helped persuade delegates in many states to support ratification. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document.
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The Articles of Confederation required unanimous approval
The Articles of Confederation, officially the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement and early body of law in the Thirteen Colonies, serving as the nation's first constitution during the American Revolution. It was debated by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia between July 1776 and November 1777, and was finalised by the Congress on November 15, 1777. The Articles were ratified by all 13 colonies on March 1, 1781, and served as the first constitution of the United States.
The weakness of the Articles in establishing an effective unifying government became apparent, particularly in the face of internal conflicts such as Shays' Rebellion. The need for a stronger, more centralised government was recognised, leading to calls for a constitutional convention to reevaluate the nation's governing document. This resulted in the proposal and creation of a new form of government, as embodied in the U.S. Constitution.
The new Constitution, signed on September 17, 1787, introduced a significantly different form of government. While the Articles of Confederation required unanimous approval for alterations, the new Constitution outlined in Article VII that it would come into effect with ratification by just nine of the 13 states, marking a shift from unanimous approval to a two-thirds majority requirement. This tension between the Articles of Confederation and the new Constitution was noted at the time and remains a topic of scholarly discussion.
The journey towards ratification of the new Constitution was lengthy and challenging. Despite the initial requirement for unanimous approval, the Constitution eventually came into force on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it. The remaining states gradually followed suit, with Rhode Island being the last to approve the document on May 29, 1790.
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Ratification was supported by The Federalist Papers
The ratification of the US Constitution was a long and arduous process. The Articles of Confederation, which was the first US Constitution, gave little power to the central government and lacked enforcement powers. This led to calls for a constitutional convention to reevaluate the nation's governing document. The proposed Constitution was sent to the Confederation Congress, which in turn submitted it to the states for ratification at the end of September 1787.
The Federalist Papers were a series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the collective pseudonym "Publius". They were written and published to urge New Yorkers to ratify the proposed United States Constitution. The Federalist Papers explained in detail the particular provisions of the Constitution and are, therefore, an important collection that offers insight into the intentions of those who debated the elements of the Constitution.
The Federalist Papers were published primarily in two New York state newspapers: The New York Packet and The Independent Journal. They were reprinted in other newspapers in New York state and in several cities in other states. The first seventy-seven of these essays were published serially in the Independent Journal, the New York Packet, and The Daily Advertiser between October 1787 and April 1788.
The Federalist Papers were written in response to the "Anti-Federalist Papers", which were critical of the new Constitution. Alexander Hamilton, in particular, decided to launch a measured defence and extensive explanation of the proposed Constitution to the people of the state of New York. The Federalist Papers were not the only force at play in the ratification contests, and their impact on New York citizens has been described as "negligible". By the time New York voted to ratify the Constitution on 26 July 1788, ten states had already ratified it, thus passing the two-thirds majority requirement.
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Ratification by states was preferred over legislatures
The ratification of the US Constitution was a long and arduous process. The country was initially governed by the Articles of Confederation, which gave little power to the central government. The Articles of Confederation required unanimous approval of all states for any amendments. However, it became clear that future stability required a stronger, more centralized government.
The new Constitution introduced a completely new form of government. It was submitted to the Congress of the Confederation in 1787, and they voted to forward the proposal to the thirteen states for their ratification. Under Article VII of the proposed Constitution, state legislatures were tasked with organizing "Federal Conventions" to ratify the document.
The process of ratification by state legislatures was not without its challenges. While some states, like Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, voted in favour of ratification almost immediately and with overwhelming support, others, like Virginia, New York, and Massachusetts, expressed concerns over the lack of protections for individual rights. The Anti-Federalists, who opposed the Constitution, tried to block the ratification process in some states.
Despite these obstacles, the Constitution gained broad and popular support. Ratification by the states was preferred over legislatures to ensure that the new framework had the backing of the people. This was achieved through specially elected state conventions, and the Constitution became the official framework of the US government when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it on June 21, 1788.
The ratification process for amendments to the Constitution is outlined in Article V. While Congress must pass a proposed amendment by a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the amendment only becomes part of the Constitution when ratified by three-fourths of the states (currently 38 out of 50). This can be done through the consent of state legislatures or state ratifying conventions, with the mode of ratification chosen by Congress for each amendment.
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The Constitution was not ratified by all states until 1790
The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, and submitted to the Congress of the Confederation for approval. The document was then forwarded to the 13 states for ratification. Article VII of the proposed Constitution outlined that the document would only be binding once it was ratified by nine of the 13 states.
The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. By June 21, 1788, nine states had ratified the Constitution, making it the official framework for the government of the United States of America. The nine states that had ratified the Constitution by this date were Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut, as well as Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, and New Hampshire.
However, it took until May 29, 1790, for all 13 states to ratify the Constitution, with Rhode Island being the last state to approve the document. The Bill of Rights was also not ratified until the end of 1791. Additionally, the location of the capital was not decided until July 16, 1790, almost a year and a half after the general elections.
The ratification process was long and challenging, with two factions emerging: the Federalists, who supported the Constitution, and the Anti-Federalists, who opposed it. The proposal was debated, criticized, and analysed clause by clause. The Federalists, led by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay, published a series of commentaries known as The Federalist Papers, which supported ratification and explained how the new government would function.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution required ratification by nine of the thirteen states.
All thirteen states approved the ratification of the US Constitution.
Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut.
Six states had approved the ratification of the US Constitution by February 1788.
Rhode Island was the last state to approve the ratification of the US Constitution on May 29, 1790.
