Eleanor Finch
The US Constitution was ratified by state conventions, not Congress, which meant that the authority of the Constitution came from representatives of the people. On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution, with George Reed signing for John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The first real test for ratification occurred in Massachusetts, where the recommendation for a bill of rights proved to be a remedy for the logjam in the ratifying convention. New Hampshire became the ninth state to approve the Constitution, but the key states of Virginia and New York were locked in bitter debates.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Who ratified the Constitution | State conventions |
| Where were they from | Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York |
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What You'll Learn
- The first test for ratification was in Massachusetts, where a bill of rights was proposed to break the logjam in the ratifying convention
- New Hampshire was the ninth state to approve the Constitution, but Virginia and New York were locked in bitter debates
- The Federalists prevailed and Virginia and New York narrowly approved the Constitution
- North Carolina ratified the Constitution when a bill of rights was proposed in Congress in 1789
- The Connecticut Compromise restructured Congress to reflect the system of representation
The first test for ratification was in Massachusetts, where a bill of rights was proposed to break the logjam in the ratifying convention
The Constitution had been produced in strictest secrecy during the Philadelphia convention. The ratifying conventions were the agents of ratification, not Congress. This approach insured that the Constitution's authority came from representatives of the people specifically elected for the purpose of approving or disapproving the charter, resulting in a more accurate reflection of the will of the electorate.
Hamilton and James Madison led the lobbying efforts for votes in favour of ratifying the Constitution. With assistance from John Jay, they produced the 85 essays known as “The Federalist Papers” that explained and defended how the proposed new government would function.
On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution. George Reed signed for John Dickinson of Delaware, who was absent, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. It was an extraordinary achievement. The delegates came up with a completely new government. Representing wildly different interests and views, they crafted compromises.
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, December 15, 1788, to Saturday, January 10, 1789, and the new government was set to begin on March 4, 1789. In the nation’s first presidential election, George Washington was elected President and John Adams was elected Vice President.
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New Hampshire was the ninth state to approve the Constitution, but Virginia and New York were locked in bitter debates
New Hampshire became the ninth state to approve the Constitution in June 1787. However, the key states of Virginia and New York were locked in bitter debates. Their failure to ratify would have reduced the new union by two large, populated, wealthy states, and would have geographically splintered it. The Federalists prevailed, however, and Virginia and New York narrowly approved the Constitution.
On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution. George Reed signed for John Dickinson of Delaware, who was absent, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The delegates were tasked with revising the existing government, but they came up with a completely new one. Wary of centralised power and loyal to their states, they created a powerful central government. Representing wildly different interests and views, they crafted compromises.
Beyond the legal requirements for ratification, the state conventions fulfilled other purposes. The Constitution had been produced in strictest secrecy during the Philadelphia convention. The ratifying conventions served the necessary function of informing the public of the provisions of the proposed new government. They also served as forums for proponents and opponents to articulate their ideas before the citizenry. Significantly, state conventions, not Congress, were the agents of ratification. This approach insured that the Constitution's authority came from representatives of the people specifically elected for the purpose of approving or disapproving the charter, resulting in a more accurate reflection of the will of the electorate.
Hamilton and James Madison led the lobbying efforts for votes in favour of ratifying the Constitution. With assistance from John Jay, they produced the 85 essays known as “The Federalist Papers”, which explained and defended how the proposed new government would function.
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The Federalists prevailed and Virginia and New York narrowly approved the Constitution
The Constitution was ratified by state conventions, not Congress, which meant that the authority of the Constitution came from representatives of the people who were specifically elected to approve or disapprove of the charter. This resulted in a more accurate reflection of the will of the electorate.
The ratification of the Constitution was an extraordinary achievement. The delegates who signed the Constitution were tasked with revising the existing government, but instead created a powerful central government. They crafted compromises to reconcile wildly different interests and views.
Hamilton and James Madison led the lobbying efforts for votes in favour of ratifying the Constitution. With assistance from John Jay, they produced the 85 essays known as "The Federalist Papers", which explained and defended how the proposed new government would function.
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North Carolina ratified the Constitution when a bill of rights was proposed in Congress in 1789
North Carolina was one of the last states to ratify the Constitution. It did so in November 1789, after a bill of rights was proposed in Congress.
The Constitution was signed by 38 delegates on September 17, 1787, and the founders set the terms for its ratification. They bypassed the state legislatures, reasoning that their members would be reluctant to give up power to a national government. Instead, state conventions were the agents of ratification, reflecting the will of the electorate.
The first real test for ratification occurred in Massachusetts, where the recommendation for a bill of rights proved to be a remedy for the logjam in the ratifying convention. New Hampshire, Virginia and New York then followed suit, but North Carolina withheld its approval until the Bill of Rights was included with the proposed Constitution.
North Carolina called a new convention and ratified the Constitution in November 1789, adopting the proposed amendments one month later. It was the second state, after New Jersey, to do so.
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The Connecticut Compromise restructured Congress to reflect the system of representation
The Constitution was ratified by state conventions, not Congress, which meant that the Constitution's authority came from representatives of the people specifically elected for the purpose of approving or disapproving the charter. This resulted in a more accurate reflection of the will of the electorate.
The first real test for ratification occurred in Massachusetts, where the fully recorded debates reveal that the recommendation for a bill of rights proved to be a remedy for the logjam in the ratifying convention. New Hampshire became the ninth state to approve the Constitution in June, but the key states of Virginia and New York were locked in bitter debates. Their failure to ratify would reduce the new union by two large, populated, wealthy states, and would geographically splinter it. The Federalists prevailed, however, and Virginia and New York narrowly approved the Constitution. When a bill of rights was proposed in Congress in 1789, North Carolina ratified the Constitution.
The Connecticut Compromise, also known as the Great Compromise of 1787 or Sherman Compromise, restructured Congress to reflect the system of representation. It was a proposal in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to create a bicameral legislature composed of a Senate, with equal representation of the states, and a House of Representatives apportioned according to population. This proposal helped solve the difficult dispute over whether the character of the national government should be confederal or national and how representation in Congress should be allocated.
Representatives from the more populous states generally wanted representation to be based on population, as presented in the Virginia Plan. Representatives from the small states generally preferred a confederal approach where states enjoy equal representation in the legislature, as expressed in the New Jersey Plan. The Connecticut Compromise combined proposals from the Virginia (large state) plan and the New Jersey (small state) plan. According to the Great Compromise, there would be two national legislatures in a bicameral Congress. Members of the House of Representatives would be allocated according to each state’s population and elected by the people. In the second body—the Senate—each state would have two representatives regardless of the state’s size, and state legislatures would choose Senators.
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Frequently asked questions
Massachusetts was the first state to ratify the Constitution.
New Hampshire was the ninth state to ratify the Constitution.
Virginia and New York were locked in bitter debates about ratifying the Constitution.
North Carolina ratified the Constitution when a bill of rights was proposed in Congress in 1789.
