Definition
Article VII sent the Constitution to special conventions in the states rather than to the state legislatures, and it needed only nine states, not the unanimous vote the Articles required for any change. Delaware ratified first, on December 7, 1787, and Massachusetts ratified on February 6, 1788, by a vote of 187 to 168, after John Hancock offered a list of recommended amendments. New Hampshire became the ninth state on June 21, 1788; Virginia ratified, 89 to 79, after the Federalists promised to seek amendments, and New York ratified, 30 to 27. North Carolina and Rhode Island held out until the new government was already running, joining in 1789 and 1790.
Why it matters on the AP exam
Ratification is the setting for the Federalist and Anti-Federalist debate over national power, liberty and a bill of rights, a standard topic in Period 3 questions. The Federalists won close votes in Massachusetts, Virginia and New York largely by promising to add amendments, and that promise led to the Bill of Rights in 1791. Questions ask students to explain the arguments each side made and often use a Federalist Paper or an Anti-Federalist writing as the source.
In the sources
“I give my assent to the Constitution, in full confidence that the amendments proposed will soon become a part of the system.”
Connections
- Federalists: supporters of the Constitution, who won the close votes
- Anti-Federalists: opponents, who demanded a bill of rights
- The Federalist Papers: essays written to win ratification in New York
- Bill of Rights: the amendments that Federalists promised during the ratification fight
Study it in context
Topic 3.8: The Constitutional Convention and Debates over Ratification Watch this part