Article Seven of the United States Constitution

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Article Seven of the United States Constitution provides how many state ratifications were necessary in order for the Constitution to take effect and how a state could ratify it.

Text

The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same.

Background

In 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify, Virginia, New York, North Carolina and Rhode Island remained. Virginia was the most populous state and New York was the wealthiest state. The Congress of the Confederation chose March 4, 1789 as the day "for commencing proceedings under the Constitution." Virginia and New York ratified the Constitution before that time, while North Carolina and Rhode Island ratified after the Bill of Rights was submitted to the states for ratification.

The Constitution was ratified by the states in the following order:^{[citation needed]}

	Date	State	Votes		% Approval
			Yea	Nay
1	December 7, 1787	Delaware	30	0	100%
2	December 12, 1787	Pennsylvania	46	23	67%
3	December 18, 1787	New Jersey	38	0	100%
4	January 2, 1788	Georgia	26	0	100%
5	January 9, 1788	Connecticut	128	40	76%
6	February 6, 1788	Massachusetts	187	168	53%
7	April 28, 1788	Maryland	63	11	85%
8	May 23, 1788	South Carolina	149	73	67%
9	June 21, 1788	New Hampshire	57	47	55%
10	June 25, 1788	Virginia	89	79	53%
11	July 26, 1788	New York	30	27	53%
12	November 21, 1789	North Carolina	194	77	72%
13	May 29, 1790	Rhode Island	34	32	52%
Total			1071	577	65%

External links

• CRS Annotated Constitution: Article VII
• Mount, Steve. (2003). "The Federalists and Anti-Federalists."