The Us Constitution: Ratification And Its Legacy

The US Constitution was ratified on 21 June 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it. The journey to ratification was a long and arduous process. All 13 states eventually ratified the US Constitution by 29 May 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document.

Explore related products

Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788

$13.2 $24

Original Intentions: On the Making and Ratification of the United States Constitution

$32.88

Mapping the Constitution: The Cartographic History of the Ratification of the Constitution

$25.07 $40

Slavery's Constitution: From Revolution to Ratification

$17.1 $19.99

The Framing and Ratification of the Constitution

$69.99

Federalists and Antifederalists: The Debate Over the Ratification of the Constitution (Constitutional Heritage Series)

$35.48 $50

The US Constitution was ratified on 21 June 1788

The Constitution was still evolving, however. Madison introduced 17 amendments to the Constitution born from the Massachusetts Compromise, of which Congress adopted 12 on 25 September 1789, to send forth to the states for ratification. Ten of those amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on 15 December 1791. Even after the Constitution's ratification, the US did not begin to look and function remotely like it does today until several years later. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until 29 May 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document. The Bill of Rights was not ratified to become part of the Constitution until the end of the following year.

After ratification, Congress set dates for the first federal elections and the official implementation of the Constitution. Elections were set to take place from Monday, 15 December 1788, to Saturday, 10 January 1789, and the new government was set to begin on 4 March 1789. In the nation's first presidential election, George Washington was elected president and John Adams was elected vice president.

The required 9 of 13 states ratified the Constitution

The US Constitution was ratified on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it. The required nine states meant that the Constitution became the official framework for the government of the United States of America. The journey to ratification was a long and arduous process. Until the new Constitution was ratified, the country was governed by the Articles of Confederation. That document was tailored to a newly formed nation made of states acting more like independent, sovereign countries, and it quickly became clear to some of America’s leaders that future stability required a stronger, more centralised government. New York’s Alexander Hamilton thus led the call for a constitutional convention to reevaluate the nation’s governing document.

The drafting of the Constitution of the United States began on May 25, 1787, when the Constitutional Convention met for the first time with a quorum at the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to revise the Articles of Confederation. It ended on September 17, 1787, the day the Frame of Government drafted by the convention's delegates to replace the Articles was adopted and signed. The ratification process for the Constitution began that day, and ended when the final state, Rhode Island, ratified it on May 29, 1790. All 13 states eventually ratified the US Constitution by this date.

The Constitution was not ratified by all states until 29 May 1790

The US Constitution was ratified on 21 June 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it. However, it was not ratified by all states until 29 May 1790, when Rhode Island became the final state to ratify it. The Constitution required 9 of 13 states to ratify it for it to go into effect, which happened on 21 June 1788. On 4 March 1789, the 1st Congress of the new Constitution was seated, and in early April, George Washington was elected as the 1st President.

Explore related products

The Writing and Ratification of the U.S. Constitution: Practical Virtue in Action

$52.43 $59

The Debate on the Constitution : Federalist and Antifederalist Speeches, Articles and Letters During the Struggle over Ratification, Part Two: January to August 1788 (Library of America)

$39 $42.5

The Debate on the Constitution: Federalist and Anti-Federalist Speeches, Articles, and Letters During the Struggle over Ratification 1787-1788: A Library of America Boxed Set

$79.05 $85

Constitution of the United States (Books of American Wisdom)

$9.25 $9.95

The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, Volume 12: Ratification of the Constitution by the States, Maryland, No. 1 (Volume 12)

$95

The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, Volume 1: Constitutional Documents and Records 1776-1787 (Volume 1)

$95

The Bill of Rights was ratified on 15 December 1791

The US Constitution was ratified on 21 June 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it. The Bill of Rights was ratified on 15 December 1791.

The journey to ratification was a long and arduous process. The drafting of the Constitution began on 25 May 1787, when the Constitutional Convention met for the first time at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The convention's delegates adopted and signed the Frame of Government to replace the Articles of Confederation on 17 September 1787, the same day the ratification process began.

Between 7 December 1787 and 21 June 1788, the required nine of 13 states ratified the Constitution, making it the official framework for the government of the United States of America. All 13 states eventually ratified the Constitution by 29 May 1790, when Rhode Island became the last state to ratify it.

The first federal elections were set to take place from 15 December 1788 to 10 January 1789

The US Constitution was ratified on 21 June 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it. The first federal elections were set to take place from 15 December 1788 to 10 January 1789.

The journey to ratification was a long and arduous process. Until the new Constitution was ratified, the country was governed by the Articles of Confederation. This document was tailored to a newly formed nation made of states acting more like independent, sovereign countries. It quickly became clear to some of America's leaders that future stability required a stronger, more centralised government. New York's Alexander Hamilton thus led the call for a constitutional convention to re-evaluate the nation's governing document.

The drafting of the Constitution of the United States began on 25 May 1787, when the Constitutional Convention met for the first time with a quorum at the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to revise the Articles of Confederation. It ended on 17 September 1787, the day the Frame of Government drafted by the convention's delegates to replace the Articles was adopted and signed. The ratification process for the Constitution began that day and ended when the final state, Rhode Island, ratified it on 29 May 1790.

Frequently asked questions