Who ratified the Constitution in 1789?

Historical Highlight

One of the legacies of the Continental and Confederation Congresses was the convening of the Federal Convention of 1787. Six years after the ratification of the Articles of Confederation, which established the first national government, a majority of Delegates to Congress agreed that the Articles needed significant revisions. On February 21, 1787, the Congress resolved that “a convention of delegates . . . appointed by the several states be held at Philadelphia for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation.”1

The Articles’ failure to empower the central government to carry out essential functions was their primary weakness. The Articles protected the sovereignty of the states at the expense of the central government, which lacked the power to raise revenue or conduct diplomatic relations. The central government also could not manage the western territories in an effective manner. After the Continental Congress decided to act on the problem, 12 of the 13 states (Rhode Island abstained) chose 70 delegates to represent them at the Federal Convention. Out of those appointees, only 55 attended. Forty of the 55 attendees had served in the Continental and/or Confederation Congresses at some point in their careers.2

When the delegates of the Federal Convention met in the Pennsylvania state house (now Independence Hall) in May 1787, Edmund Randolph of Virginia offered the most comprehensive plan, essentially bypassing revisions and suggesting an entirely new government. The “Virginia Plan” had been drafted by fellow delegate, James Madison. While some believed the Articles should be “corrected and enlarged as to accomplish the objects proposed by their institution,” the Virginia Plan called for completely replacing it with a strong central government based on popular consent and proportional representation.3 Its distinguishing features included a bicameral legislature, a separate executive, and judiciary branch with a national jurisdiction.

The Virginia Plan received support from states with large populations such as Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and South Carolina. A number of smaller states, however, proposed the “New Jersey Plan,” drafted by William Paterson, which retained the essential features of the original Articles: a unicameral legislature where all states had equal representation, the appointment of a plural executive, and a supreme court of limited jurisdiction. The convention debated these competing proposals from May to July 1787, before turning over plans to a Grand Committee to hash out an agreement. The committee’s report, dubbed the Great Compromise, ironed out many contentious points. It resolved the delegates’ sharpest disagreement by prescribing a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House and equal state representation in the Senate. After two more months of intense debates and revisions, the delegates produced the document we now know as the Constitution, which expanded the power of the central government while protecting the prerogatives of the states.4 A total of 39 delegates signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787.5

Who ratified the Constitution in 1789?
/tiles/non-collection/i/im_people_christyconstsign_aoc.xml Image courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol George Washington of Virginia presides over the Federal Convention of 1787 as delegates sign the U.S. Constitution at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. A number of the delegates, like Washington, either served in the Continental Congress or fought the British during the American Revolution.

Not all of the delegates agreed with the final product. Some expressed reservations but signed the Constitution, anticipating vigorous debates within their states. Three delegates, Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, George Mason of Virginia, and Randolph, did not sign it at all. Critics who shared the views of these delegates preferred the decentralized nature of the Articles of Confederation as a check on the power of the central government. Dubbed "Anti-Federalists" by their opponents, Americans would debate the benefits of a new Constitution for the next ten months.6 By June 1788, the requisite 9 states had ratified the Constitution as the law of the land, and the Confederation Congress announced that the new government would begin in March 1789.

Listed below are the 34 Continental and Confederation Congress Delegates who signed the United States Constitution. The state listings reflect the states they represented during the Federal Convention:

NameState
JOHNSON, William Samuel CT
SHERMAN, Roger CT
BEDFORD, Gunning, Jr. DE
DICKINSON, John DE
READ, George DE
FEW, William GA
BALDWIN, Abraham GA
CARROLL, Daniel MD
JENIFER, Daniel of St. Thomas MD
McHENRY, James MD
GORHAM, Nathaniel MA
KING, Rufus MA
GILMAN, Nicholas NH
LANGDON, John NH
HAMILTON, Alexander NY
DAYTON, Jonathan NJ
LIVINGSTON, William NJ
PATERSON, William NJ
BLOUNT, William NC
WILLIAMSON, Hugh NC
SPAIGHT, Richard Dobbs NC
CLYMER, George PA
FITZSIMONS, Thomas PA
FRANKLIN, Benjamin PA
INGERSOLL, Jared PA
MIFFLIN, Thomas PA
MORRIS, Gouverneur PA
MORRIS, Robert PA
WILSON, James PA
BUTLER, Pierce SC
PINCKNEY, Charles SC
RUTLEDGE, John SC
MADISON, James, Jr. VA
WASHINGTON, George (President of the Federal Convention) VA

Who ratified the Constitution in November 1789?

21, 1789. On this day in 1789, North Carolina ratified the U.S. Constitution to become the 12th state in the Union.

Who ratified the Constitution in 1788?

The Constitution Is Ratified by Nine States. On June 21, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the new Constitution, making its adoption official. Preceding New Hampshire were Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, and South Carolina.

Who ratified the Constitution in 1790?

It was not until May 29, 1790, that the last state, Rhode Island, finally ratified the Constitution. The states and the dates of ratification are listed here, in order of ratification: Delaware: December 7, 1787.

Was the United States Constitution was ratified passed in 1789?

On June 21, 1788, the Constitution became the official framework of the government of the United States of America when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it. The journey to ratification, however, was a long and arduous process.