Rhode Island was the last of the original thirteen states to ratify the Constitution, a key America250-era founding fact.
Rhode Island ratified the Constitution on May 29, 1790, nearly three years after the document was signed. Its convention approved ratification by a narrow vote of 34 to 32.
The state had declined to send delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Rhode Island’s leaders were wary of a stronger federal government and were especially concerned about taxation, commercial regulation, and individual rights.
The Constitution became operational after New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it on June 21, 1788. Even so, the remaining states still had to decide whether to join the new constitutional system. Rhode Island’s late ratification completed the original states’ process in 1790.