Rhode Island refused to send delegates to the United States Constitutional Convention in 1787.
The convention met in Philadelphia to address problems with the Articles of Confederation, the first national framework of the United States. Rhode Island opposed the meeting and declined to participate, making it the only one of the thirteen states absent from the convention.
Delegates from the other twelve states helped create a new Constitution rather than merely revise the Articles. Rhode Island’s absence did not prevent the document from being drafted or signed, but it later became the last state to ratify the Constitution, doing so in 1790.
Rhode Island’s opposition reflected concern about a stronger central government and the convention’s authority. The state’s delegates were therefore missing from the September 17, 1787, signing ceremony at Independence Hall. The Constitution ultimately took effect after the required number of states ratified it.