Ratifications

The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton , James Madison , and John Jay , advocated for a strong national government through the Constitution. They believed centralized power would effectively bind the states, fostering unity and stability. Opposing them were the Anti-Federalists, including...

Vermont’s Ratification Advertisement Vermont was admitted to the United States on March 4, 1791. On February 9, 1791, the Congress received the state’s transmission to Congress its intent to hold a convention for the purposes of ratifying the United States Constitution and the results of that...

Ratification Dates and Votes Advertisement Each of the original thirteen states in the United States was invited to ratify the Constitution created in Philadelphia in 1787 . The Constitution specified that nine ratifications would be sufficient to consider the Constitution accepted. Some states...

State Ratification Grid This page presents a table showing each state on the vertical axis and each constitutional amendment on the horizontal axis. This chart will allow you to quickly see if your state ratified any one amendment or group of amendments. For ratification dates, see the Ratification...

North Carolina’s Ratification Advertisement Ratification of the Constitution by the State of North Carolina, November 21, 1789. North Carolina was the twelfth state to do so. North Carolina held a ratification convention in 1788, convening on July 21 and adjourning on August 4. At that...

New Hampshire’s Ratification Ratification of the Constitution by the State of New Hampshire, June 21, 1788. New Hampshire was the ninth state to do so, and with its ratification, the Constitution was officially in effect. New Hampshire’s ratification message included several suggested changes...

New Jersey’s Ratification Advertisement Ratification of the Constitution by the State of New Jersey, December 18, 1787. New Jersey was the third state to do so. New Jersey’s ratification message included several paragraphs describing the Constitutional Convention and several more of technical...

New York’s Ratification Ratification of the Constitution by the State of New York, July 26, 1788. New York was the eleventh state to do so. The assent of Virginia and of New York was seen as essential to the success of the Constitution, and though they were tenth and eleventh to ratify, it is...

Pennsylvania’s Ratification Ratification of the Constitution by the State of Pennsylvania, December 12, 1787. Pennsylvania was the second state to do so. Pennsylvania’s ratification message was short and to the point. The following text is taken from the Library of Congress’s copy of...

Rhode Island’s Ratification Ratification of the Constitution by the State of Rhode Island, May 29, 1790. Rhode Island was the thirteenth state to do so. Rhode Island’s ratification message is lengthy, with a list similar to that of New York’s, listing a bill of rights and listing several...

South Carolina’s Ratification Ratification of the Constitution by the State of South Carolina, May 23, 1788. South Carolina was the eighth state to do so. South Carolina’s ratification message included several small suggested changes to the Constitution, including one to say “no other...

Virginia’s Ratification Ratification of the Constitution by the State of Virginia, June 26, 1788. Virginia ratified the Constitution in two steps. The first was the declaration of ratification. The second was a recommendation that a bill of rights be added to the Constitution, and that a list of...

Connecticut’s Ratification Advertisement Ratification of the Constitution by the State of Connecticut, January 9, 1788. Connecticut was the fifth state to do so. Connecticut’s ratification message was short and to the point. The following text is taken from the Library of Congress’s copy of...

Delaware’s Ratification Ratification of the Constitution by the State of Delaware, December 7, 1787. Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution. Delaware’s ratification message was short and to the point. The following text is taken from the Library of Congress’s copy of...

Georgia’s Ratification Ratification of the Constitution by the State of Georgia, January 2, 1788. Georgia was the fourth state to do so. Georgia’s ratification message was short and to the point. The following text is taken from the Library of Congress’s copy of Elliot’s Debates. In...

Massachusetts’s Ratification Advertisement Ratification of the Constitution by the State of Massachusetts, February 6, 1788. Massachusetts was the sixth state to do so. Massachusetts’s ratification message was the first to include a list of desired changes to the Constitution, some of which...

Maryland’s Ratification Ratification of the Constitution by the State of Maryland, April 28, 1788. Maryland was the seventh state to do so. Maryland’s ratification message was very short and to the point. The following text is taken from the Library of Congress’s copy of Elliot’s Debates....