The South's Constitution Ratification: A Historical Perspective

The ratification of the US Constitution was a long and complex process, with the first state, Delaware, ratifying it on December 7, 1787. Four states, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland and South Carolina, did not appoint delegates. 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 June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the document, and it was subsequently agreed that government under the U.S. Constitution would begin on March 4, 1789.

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

In June 1788, Virginia ratified the Constitution, followed by New York in July. South Carolina was the 11th state to ratify the Constitution in May 1788. In November 1789, North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, and Rhode Island, the last of the original 13 colonies, voted to ratify the document on May 29, 1790.

The Constitution was ratified in Massachusetts, Maryland and South Carolina

South Carolina was the fourth state to ratify the Constitution in May 1788, followed by New Hampshire, which became the ninth state to ratify the document on June 21, 1788. In the same year, Virginia and New York also ratified the Constitution, although it is probable that a majority of people in both states and the entire country opposed it.

The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the Constitution on September 25, 1789, and Rhode Island was the last of the original 13 colonies to join the United States on May 29, 1790.

New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution on June 21, 1788

The Constitution was ratified by the first five states in quick succession, beginning on December 7, 1787. 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.

In the two months following New Hampshire's ratification, Virginia and New York also ratified the Constitution, largely thanks to the efforts of Madison and Hamilton in their respective states. The Federalists' margin in both states was extremely close, and it is probable that a majority of people in the entire country opposed the Constitution.

North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the Constitution on September 25, 1789, and Rhode Island, which had opposed federal control of currency and was critical of the compromise on the issue of slavery, became the last of the original 13 colonies to join the United States on May 29, 1790.

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Virginia and New York ratified the Constitution in July 1788

The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on 7 December 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. 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 state to ratify the document, and it was subsequently agreed that government under the U.S. Constitution would begin on 4 March 1789.

In June 1788, Virginia ratified the Constitution, followed by New York in July. The margin for the Federalists in both states, however, was extremely close. Hamilton figured that the majority of the people in New York actually opposed the Constitution, and it is probable that a majority of people in the entire country opposed it. Thanks largely to the efforts of Madison and Hamilton in their own states, Virginia and New York both ratified while adding their own amendments.

Rhode Island was the last of the original 13 colonies 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. 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 June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the document, and it was subsequently agreed that government under the U.S. Constitution would begin on March 4, 1789. In June, Virginia ratified the Constitution, followed by New York in July.

North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution in November 1789. On September 25, 1789, the first Congress of the United States adopted 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution—the Bill of Rights—and sent them to the states for ratification. Ten of these amendments were ratified in 1791.

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