Delaware was the first U.S. state to ratify the Constitution, an early milestone before America’s 250th anniversary.
Delaware’s ratifying convention approved the Constitution unanimously on December 7, 1787. The vote took place at Dover, making Delaware the first of the nine states required for the document to take effect under Article VII.
The state’s early ratification earned it the nickname “The First State.” Delaware’s small size did not prevent it from playing an influential role in the constitutional process. Its delegates had participated in the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia earlier in 1787.
Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify, followed by New Jersey. Virginia and New York ratified later, while North Carolina and Rhode Island held out until after the new federal government had begun operating. Delaware’s unanimous vote is sometimes confused with the order of the original thirteen states, but statehood dates and ratification order are different measures.