The Historic Decision: Virginia Ratifies The Constitution

Virginia was the tenth state to ratify the United States Constitution. The Virginia Ratifying Convention, also known as the Virginia Federal Convention, was held in Richmond in 1788. The Convention was open to the public and the press, and saw 168 delegates meet to debate the ratification of the Constitution, which had been drafted the previous year in Philadelphia. The delegates voted to adopt the Constitution by a margin of 51 to 26, and it was later ratified by voters in 1869.

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The Virginia Ratifying Convention was held in 1788

The Virginia Ratifying Convention was also historically referred to as the "Virginia Federal Convention". Judge Edmund Pendleton, Virginia delegate to the Constitutional Convention, served as the convention's president by unanimous consent. The Convention convened "in the temporary capital at Cary and Fourteenth streets" on June 2, 1788, and elected Edmund Pendleton its presiding officer.

The Virginia Ratifying Convention was the culmination of a long and contentious debate over the ratification of the United States Constitution in Virginia. The state was deeply divided between Federalists, who supported ratification, and Anti-Federalists, who opposed it. The Federalists argued that the new Constitution would provide a stronger, more unified government for the young nation, while the Anti-Federalists feared that it would lead to a concentration of power in the central government and a loss of states' rights.

The Virginia Ratifying Convention was a significant event in the history of the United States. It was the tenth state to ratify the Constitution, and its decision helped to ensure that the Constitution would become the law of the land. The Convention also played a key role in shaping the future of the country, as the delegates debated and adopted several amendments to the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights.

The Virginia Ratifying Convention of 1788 was not the only time that the state has played a significant role in shaping the Constitution. In 1850-1851, Virginia held another convention to adopt a new state constitution. This convention met in the Capitol in Richmond and approved a new constitution that made several important breaks with the past, including allowing universal, white manhood suffrage for the first time and permitting voters to elect most public officials, including the governor and lieutenant governor.

The Convention was open to the public

Virginia was the tenth state to ratify the Constitution. The Virginia Ratifying Convention (also historically referred to as the "Virginia Federal Convention") was a convention of 168 delegates from Virginia who met in 1788 to ratify or reject the United States Constitution. Unlike the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention, the Virginia Ratifying Convention was open to the public and crowds filled the galleries along with the press. The Convention met and deliberated from June 2 through June 27 in Richmond at the Richmond Theatre, presently the site of Monumental Church. The Convention of 1850–1851 also met in Richmond, in the Capitol building. The Virginia Ratifying Convention was not the only convention to be open to the public. The Philadelphia Convention, which drafted the United States Constitution, was also open to the public.

Federalists and Anti-Federalists were both present

Virginia was the tenth state to ratify the United States Constitution. The Virginia Ratifying Convention (also historically referred to as the Virginia Federal Convention) was a convention of 168 delegates from Virginia who met in 1788 to ratify or reject the United States Constitution, which had been drafted at the Philadelphia Convention the previous year. The Convention met and deliberated from June 2 through June 27 in Richmond at the Richmond Theatre, presently the site of Monumental Church. The Virginia Ratifying Convention was open to the public and crowds filled the galleries along with the press.

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The Federalists had a slim margin over the Anti-Federalists

Virginia was the tenth state to ratify the Constitution, on 26 June 1788. The Federalists had a slim margin over the Anti-Federalists, with 86 votes to 80. The Federalists were seeking ratification, while the Anti-Federalists were rejecting the Constitution. The Federalists came from the Tidewater and Northern Neck, the Shenandoah Valley, and western counties. The Kentucky counties along the Ohio River, however, feared being abandoned to the Spanish under the new government. The Anti-Federalists found strength in the central Piedmont, Southside, and southwest counties.

The Virginia Ratifying Convention was open to the public, unlike the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention. The Convention met in Richmond at the Richmond Theatre, now the site of Monumental Church. The Convention was presided over by Judge Edmund Pendleton, a Virginia delegate to the Constitutional Convention, who was elected by unanimous consent.

The Virginia Ratifying Convention was not the only time the state has ratified a constitution. In 1851, the state approved a new constitution by a vote of 75 to 33, which was then ratified by voters. In 1868, delegates adopted another new constitution by a vote of 51 to 26, which was ratified by voters in 1869.

The Constitution was ratified by voters in 1851

Virginia was the tenth state to ratify the Constitution, which was drafted in Philadelphia the previous year. The Virginia Ratifying Convention met in Richmond in 1788, with 168 delegates in attendance. The Federalists seeking ratification had a slim margin of 86 to 80 against the Anti-Federalists, with four unknowns. The Federalists came from the Tidewater and Northern Neck, the Shenandoah Valley, and western counties, while the Kentucky counties along the Ohio River feared being abandoned to the Spanish under the new government. The Anti-Federalists found strength in the central Piedmont, Southside, and southwest counties.

The Virginia Ratifying Convention was open to the public, unlike the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention, and crowds filled the galleries along with the press. The Convention met and deliberated from June 2 through June 27, with Judge Edmund Pendleton, a Virginia delegate to the Constitutional Convention, serving as its president by unanimous consent. The Convention convened "in the temporary capital at Cary and Fourteenth streets" on June 2, 1788, and elected Edmund Pendleton its presiding officer.

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