New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the United States Constitution on June 21, 1788.
Article VII of the Constitution specified that ratification by conventions in nine states would be sufficient to establish the Constitution among the states ratifying it. New Hampshire’s vote therefore reached the required threshold, although North Carolina and Rhode Island had not yet ratified.
The ratification process was contentious. Supporters known as Federalists argued that the Constitution would create a stronger national government, while Anti-Federalists feared that it threatened state authority and individual liberties. Several states demanded assurances that amendments protecting rights would follow.
New Hampshire’s action did not immediately mean that every state had joined the new system. Virginia ratified four days earlier, on June 25? No—Virginia ratified on June 25, 1788, after New Hampshire, while New York ratified on July 26. North Carolina ratified in 1789 and Rhode Island in 1790, completing the original thirteen-state ratification sequence.