Rhode Island was the last of the original thirteen states to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
Rhode Island approved the Constitution on May 29, 1790, nearly three years after the document was signed in Philadelphia. Its convention voted 34 to 32 in favor, making the decision one of the narrowest ratification votes. Rhode Island had initially refused even to send delegates to the Constitutional Convention.
The state’s opposition reflected concerns about centralized power, taxation, and the absence of a bill of rights. Rhode Island’s leaders also defended the state’s paper-money policies and its tradition of local political independence. Supporters eventually prevailed after Congress and other states pressed for acceptance of the new federal system.
Rhode Island’s late ratification did not prevent the Constitution from taking effect. Article Seven required approval from nine states, and New Hampshire supplied that number in June 1788. Rhode Island’s vote completed the original-state ratification sequence and followed North Carolina’s approval in November 1789.