Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States Constitution, a founding milestone before America250.
Delaware ratified the Constitution unanimously on December 7, 1787. Because it acted first, the state later became known by the nickname “The First State.” Its ratification was one of the steps that transformed the proposed Constitution into the framework for the new federal government.
Article Seven of the Constitution required ratification by conventions in nine of the thirteen states for the Constitution to take effect. New Hampshire became the ninth state on June 21, 1788. The remaining states ratified later, with Rhode Island being the last of the original thirteen in 1790.
Delaware's action came just over eleven years after the Declaration of Independence. The two events are related but distinct: the declaration announced separation from Great Britain, while the Constitution established the structure of the federal government.