Rhode Island was the last of the original states to ratify the U.S. Constitution in the founding sequence linked to America250.
Rhode Island ratified the Constitution on May 29, 1790, nearly three years after Delaware became the first state to approve it. Rhode Island’s convention voted 34 to 32, making the decision notably close compared with several unanimous ratifications.
The Constitution had already taken effect in 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify. North Carolina also ratified after the document became operative, in November 1789. Rhode Island’s late approval completed the ratification process among the thirteen original states.
This timing illustrates that American independence, constitutional government, and national consolidation were separate stages. The Declaration was adopted in 1776, the Constitution was drafted in 1787, and the final original-state ratification came in 1790. America250 chiefly commemorates the first of those milestones while providing context for the others.