Delaware was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, approving it on December 7, 1787.
Delaware’s convention voted unanimously, with all 30 delegates supporting ratification. The state’s early approval earned it the nickname “The First State,” a title recognized in modern usage and on its state quarter.
Article Seven required ratification by conventions in at least nine of the thirteen states for the Constitution to take effect. New Hampshire became the ninth state on June 21, 1788, putting the Constitution into operation even though several states had not yet ratified it.
Delaware’s position is sometimes confused with Pennsylvania’s because Philadelphia hosted the Constitutional Convention and Pennsylvania was the second state to ratify. Virginia, despite its importance in the convention and founding era, ratified later, on June 25, 1788. Rhode Island was the last of the original states, ratifying on May 29, 1790.