Article Seven required nine state ratifications to activate the United States Constitution.
The Constitutional Convention submitted the proposed Constitution to the states in 1787. Article Seven stated that ratification by conventions in nine states would be sufficient to establish the Constitution among the states approving it. This threshold was a compromise between requiring unanimous approval and allowing a small minority to create the new government.
New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify on June 21, 1788, placing the Constitution into effect. Virginia and New York ratified soon afterward, while North Carolina and Rhode Island initially remained outside the new constitutional system before later joining.
The requirement is often confused with the number of states that ultimately ratified. All 13 original states eventually approved the Constitution, but Rhode Island did not ratify until May 29, 1790. Article Seven therefore concerned the threshold for activation, not the final total.