Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States Constitution.
Delaware’s ratifying convention approved the Constitution unanimously on December 7, 1787. Its early acceptance earned the state the nickname “The First State,” a designation still associated with Delaware today.
Article Seven required nine states to ratify the Constitution for it to take effect. Pennsylvania followed Delaware five days later, while New Jersey and Georgia also ratified before the end of 1787. New Hampshire became the ninth state on June 21, 1788, bringing the Constitution into operation.
Delaware is sometimes confused with Pennsylvania because Philadelphia hosted the Constitutional Convention and Pennsylvania was the second state to ratify. Virginia was also important, but it ratified eighth, not first. Delaware’s unanimous vote made its position especially clear.