Eleanor Finch
Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States Constitution, doing so on December 7, 1787. The proposed constitution was submitted to the individual states for ratification in 1787, and was not a revision of the Articles of Confederation, but an entirely new document that gave considerable power to the national government.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of ratification | 7 December 1787 |
| Number of delegates | 30 |
| Vote | Unanimous |
| Position in ratification | First state |
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What You'll Learn
- Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution
- The Continental Congress adopted the Constitution on 17 September 1787
- The Delaware Assembly received an official copy of the Constitution on 24 October 1787
- Delaware elected 30 delegates to consider ratification
- The delegates met in Dover at Battell's Tavern
Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution
Delaware Day is celebrated on December 7 each year to commemorate the state's ratification of the Federal Constitution. The day was established in 1933 thanks to the efforts of a wise Delaware educator and legislator, Mr E. Paul Burkholder, and the Rotary Club of Georgetown.
The Continental Congress had adopted the Constitution of the United States on September 17, 1787, and an official copy was presented to the Delaware Assembly by the President of Delaware, Thomas Collins, on October 24, 1787. On November 10, 1787, both branches of the Delaware Legislature adopted a bill which called for a State Convention to be held in Dover, Delaware, on December 3, 1787, for the purpose of considering the ratification of the new Federal Constitution.
The proposed constitution was not a revision of the Articles of Confederation, but an entirely new document that gave considerable power to the national government. In many states, supporters of the Articles worked hard to block ratification, but in Delaware, there was no overt opposition.
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The Continental Congress adopted the Constitution on 17 September 1787
Delaware had led the way in making the United States Constitution the law of the land. There was no overt opposition to the new constitution in the state. All of Delaware's normally combative political factions favoured the new constitution. On 26 November 1787, Delaware elected thirty delegates to a state convention to consider ratification. Less than four months before, the Constitution was signed by 37 of the original 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention meeting in Philadelphia.
On 7 December 1787, the delegates, meeting in Dover at Battell's Tavern (also known as the Golden Fleece Tavern) unanimously made Delaware the first state to ratify the United States Constitution. Since 1933, the governors of Delaware have proclaimed 7 December as Delaware Day in honour of the state becoming the first to ratify the Federal Constitution.
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The Delaware Assembly received an official copy of the Constitution on 24 October 1787
On 26 November 1787, Delaware elected 30 delegates to a state convention to consider ratification. The delegates met in Dover at Battell's Tavern (also known as the Golden Fleece Tavern) and unanimously made Delaware the first state to ratify the United States Constitution on 7 December 1787.
Since 1933, the governors of Delaware have proclaimed 7 December as Delaware Day in honour of the state's ratification of the Federal Constitution.
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Delaware elected 30 delegates to consider ratification
On November 26, 1787, Delaware elected 30 delegates to a state convention to consider the ratification of the United States Constitution. The delegates met in Dover at Battell's Tavern (also known as the Golden Fleece Tavern) and unanimously ratified the Constitution on December 7, 1787, making Delaware the first state to ratify the Constitution.
The proposed constitution was submitted to the individual states for ratification in 1787. In many states, supporters of the Articles of Confederation worked to block ratification, but in Delaware, there was no overt opposition. All of Delaware's normally combative political factions favoured the new constitution.
The Continental Congress had adopted the Constitution of the United States on September 17, 1787. An official copy of the document was presented to the Delaware Assembly by the President of Delaware, Thomas Collins, on October 24, 1787, along with four petitions containing 171 signatures urging ratification. On November 10, 1787, both branches of the Delaware Legislature adopted a bill calling for a State Convention to be held in Dover, Delaware, on December 3, 1787, for the purpose of considering the ratification of the new Federal Constitution.
The Constitution was an entirely new document that gave considerable power to the national government. The previous constitution, the Articles of Confederation, had been in place since 1781, but it gave so much political power to the individual states that the national government was rendered unimportant.
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The delegates met in Dover at Battell's Tavern
On November 26, 1787, Delaware elected thirty delegates to a state convention to consider the ratification of the United States Constitution. The delegates met in Dover at Battell's Tavern (also known as the Golden Fleece Tavern) on December 7, 1787, and unanimously made Delaware the first state to ratify the Constitution. The proposed constitution was not a revision of the Articles of Confederation, but an entirely new document that gave considerable power to the national government. In many states, supporters of the Articles worked hard to block ratification, but in Delaware, there was no overt opposition. All of Delaware's normally combative political factions favoured the new constitution.
The Continental Congress had adopted the Constitution of the United States on September 17, 1787. An official copy of the document was presented to the Delaware Assembly by the President of Delaware, Thomas Collins, on October 24, 1787, along with four petitions containing 171 signatures urging ratification. On November 10, 1787, both branches of the Delaware Legislature adopted a bill which called for a State Convention to be held in Dover, Delaware, on December 3, 1787, for the purpose of considering the ratification of the new Federal Constitution.
The delegates had been meeting since May, and they hammered out a new constitution for the young republic. The next day, Nicholas Ridgely of Dover wrote to a Philadelphia merchant that the work done by the Constitutional Convention had raised the expectations of everybody and that permanency in government was once again hoped for. Before the high hopes of Ridgely and thousands of other Americans could be realised, the proposed constitution had to be ratified by nine of the thirteen states.
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Frequently asked questions
Delaware ratified the Constitution on December 7, 1787.
Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution, making it the law of the land.
All 30 delegates to the Delaware Constitutional Convention unanimously ratified the Constitution.
Battell's Tavern, also known as the Golden Fleece Tavern.
No, there was no overt opposition. All of Delaware's normally combative political factions favored the new Constitution.
