The States' Constitution Ratification Timeline

The Constitution was ratified by all states on 29 May 1790, when Rhode Island approved the document. The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on 7 December 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia and Connecticut. By the end of July 1788, 11 states had ratified the new Constitution, including critical states like Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia and New York. The ratification of the proposed Constitution by the original states took from September 1789 to early 1791.

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Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution on December 7, 1787

Delaware's ratification of the Constitution was unanimous. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut quickly followed Delaware's lead. By the end of July 1788, 11 states had ratified the new Constitution, including critical states like Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York. Interestingly, the final two states—North Carolina and Rhode Island—wouldn't ratify the Constitution until after the new government was already established.

The Massachusetts Compromise, reached in February 1788, stipulated that amendments to the Constitution—what became the Bill of Rights—would be immediately proposed. This paved the way for the Constitution's ratification, with later states following Massachusetts's example and brokering similar compromises to secure the support of critics of the Constitution.

The Massachusetts Compromise paved the way for the Constitution's ratification

The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document. The Massachusetts Compromise, reached in February 1788, was a solution to the controversy between Federalists and Anti-Federalists over the ratification of the United States Constitution. The Federalists insisted that states had to accept or reject the document as written, but the Anti-Federalists wanted to amend the Constitution, particularly with a Bill of Rights as a condition before ratification. The Massachusetts Compromise stipulated that amendments to that effect—what became the Bill of Rights—would be immediately proposed.

The Massachusetts Convention was closely divided between Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Two of the state's leading voices, Samuel Adams and John Hancock, emerged as critics of the Constitution. To get to "yes", the Federalists brokered a compromise with Adams and Hancock. Under this "Massachusetts Compromise", a majority of delegates agreed to ratify the new Constitution, but only if the Convention agreed to recommend a set of amendments to the new Congress following ratification.

By the end of July 1788, 11 states had ratified the new Constitution

The Constitution was not ratified by all states until 29 May 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document. The Bill of Rights, which was ratified on 15 December 1791, was not ratified to become part of the Constitution until the end of the following year.

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Rhode Island was the final state to ratify the Constitution on May 29, 1790

The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. However, the Constitution faced opposition from some states, which argued that it did not provide adequate protection for certain rights, including freedom of speech, religion, and the press. To address these concerns, the Massachusetts Compromise was reached in February 1788, paving the way for further ratifications. By the end of July 1788, 11 states had ratified the Constitution, including critical states like Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York.

The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791

By the end of July 1788, 11 states had ratified the new Constitution, but the final two states, North Carolina and Rhode Island, would not ratify until after the new government was already established. Rhode Island finally approved the document on May 29, 1790, and the Bill of Rights was ratified to become part of the Constitution at the end of the following year.

The Constitution was still evolving, and Madison introduced 17 amendments to the Constitution born from the Massachusetts Compromise. Congress adopted 12 of these amendments on September 25, 1789, to send to the states for ratification. Ten of those amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791.

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