Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States Constitution under Article VII.
Delaware’s ratifying convention approved the Constitution unanimously on December 7, 1787. Because it acted before the other states, Delaware later became known as “The First State,” a nickname reflected on its license plates and official identity.
Article VII provided that the Constitution would take effect after nine states ratified it. Delaware’s approval was therefore historically important, but it did not by itself make the Constitution operational. New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify, on June 21, 1788, bringing the Constitution into effect.
The sequence is sometimes confused because Pennsylvania held the second ratifying convention, while Virginia and New York were among the most politically important states to debate the document. Rhode Island was last among the original thirteen states, ratifying on May 29, 1790.