Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States Constitution.
Delaware’s convention approved ratification unanimously on December 7, 1787, making it the first of the thirteen states to accept the new Constitution. This early ratification earned Delaware the nickname “The First State,” a title still used today.
The Constitution required approval by nine states before it could take effect. New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify, on June 21, 1788. Virginia and New York followed soon afterward, while North Carolina and Rhode Island ratified later.
Delaware’s action is sometimes confused with Pennsylvania’s, because Pennsylvania was the second state to ratify and Philadelphia hosted the Constitutional Convention. The ratification sequence was a separate process from drafting and signing the document in 1787.