Rhode Island was the last of the original 13 states to ratify the U.S. Constitution, a founding milestone remembered by America250. Its ratification took place on May 29, 1790, nearly three years after the Constitutional Convention opened.
Rhode Island had declined to send delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention and remained wary of a stronger central government. Critics feared that the proposed Constitution lacked sufficient protections for individual rights and could threaten state authority. The state therefore held out after the Constitution took effect.
Rhode Island’s convention finally approved ratification by a narrow vote of 34 to 32. It became the thirteenth state to ratify, completing the original states’ acceptance of the Constitution. New Hampshire had supplied the ninth ratification needed for the Constitution to take effect in 1788, so Rhode Island’s later decision was not required to launch the new federal government.