Delaware was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, a milestone highlighted during America250.
Delaware’s ratifying convention approved the Constitution unanimously on December 7, 1787. That achievement gave the state its enduring nickname, “The First State.” Delaware’s small size did not prevent it from taking the leading position in the constitutional ratification process.
Article Seven provided that the Constitution would take effect once nine states had ratified it. Pennsylvania followed Delaware five days later, on December 12, 1787. New Hampshire became the ninth state on June 21, 1788, allowing the Constitution to enter into operation.
Rhode Island was the last of the original thirteen states to ratify, doing so on May 29, 1790. Ratification was carried out by special state conventions rather than by state legislatures. These dates help connect America250’s Revolutionary-era story to the later creation of the federal government.