Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
Delaware’s convention approved ratification on December 7, 1787, making it the first of the thirteen states to accept the new Constitution. This early action earned Delaware its enduring nickname, “The First State.”
The ratification came more than a decade after the Declaration of Independence and reflected a different founding challenge: replacing the weak national structure created by the Articles of Confederation with a stronger federal government. Delaware’s small size did not prevent it from taking an influential position in the constitutional process.
The state’s constitutional history is sometimes confused with the Declaration era. Delaware was one of the thirteen colonies that supported independence, but its “First State” title specifically refers to its position in the 1787 Constitution-ratification sequence. America250’s broader founding-era story includes both independence and the later creation of the federal government.