Delaware was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, a milestone linked to America250.
Delaware’s ratifying convention approved the Constitution unanimously on December 7, 1787. The vote was 30 to 0, earning Delaware the nickname “The First State.”
Article Seven required ratification by nine states for the Constitution to take effect. New Hampshire became the ninth state on June 21, 1788, putting the Constitution into operation, although several states had not yet ratified it.
Delaware’s early ratification is sometimes confused with Pennsylvania’s, because Pennsylvania was the second state to ratify and hosted the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Virginia and New York were among the influential states that ratified later.