Delegates to the Constitutional Convention completed and signed the final text of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia, triggering the nationwide ratification struggle in state conventions.
The Confederation Congress formally transmitted the proposed Constitution to the states, directing that it be considered in specially elected state ratifying conventions (rather than by state legislatures).
The first essay of The Federalist (Federalist No. 1) appeared in a New York newspaper, launching a coordinated public campaign—especially aimed at New York’s convention—to argue for ratification.
Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution, doing so unanimously in its state convention—an early win that helped build momentum for Federalists elsewhere.
Pennsylvania’s ratifying convention approved the Constitution (46–23). The large, politically important state’s early ratification intensified the national debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists.
New Jersey ratified the Constitution unanimously in convention, quickly following Delaware and Pennsylvania and reinforcing the sense of ratification momentum in late 1787.
Georgia’s convention ratified the Constitution unanimously, adding a key southern state to the ratification column early in 1788.
Connecticut ratified the Constitution (128–40) in convention, becoming the fifth ratifying state and strengthening Federalist claims that a workable national framework was gaining broad support.
After intense debate, Massachusetts ratified the Constitution (187–168) while recommending amendments—an approach that helped break deadlocks in other closely divided states and fueled momentum for a future bill of rights.
Maryland ratified the Constitution (63–11) in convention, bringing the ratification drive closer to the nine-state threshold required for the Constitution to take effect.
South Carolina’s convention ratified the Constitution (149–73), adding another major southern state and increasing pressure on remaining holdouts.
New Hampshire ratified the Constitution (57–47), becoming the crucial ninth state required by Article VII—thereby ensuring the new framework would go into operation once the new government was organized.
Virginia ratified the Constitution (89–79) in Richmond after an influential and widely reported debate among leading figures, helping secure legitimacy for the new system in a large and politically pivotal state.
New York ratified the Constitution (30–27) after a closely divided convention and a sustained pamphlet-and-newspaper campaign (including The Federalist), preventing a strategically vital state from remaining outside the new Union.
Delegates met at Hillsborough and voted not to ratify (184–84), instead calling for amendments—keeping North Carolina outside the new constitutional system while the first federal government was being formed.
The Constitution’s new governmental framework went into operation as the first Congress convened, marking the transition from the Articles of Confederation to the new federal system.
The First Congress approved twelve constitutional amendments and sent them to the states for ratification—responding to ratification-era demands for explicit protections of individual rights and limits on federal power.
After amendments had been proposed by Congress, North Carolina’s second convention approved the Constitution (194–77), joining the constitutional Union after operating outside it for more than a year.
Rhode Island ratified the Constitution (34–32), becoming the last of the original thirteen states to do so and ending the ratification campaign era for the founding document.
Ratification Campaigns and State Conventions for the Constitution (1787–1790)
