On December 12, 1787, delegates to the
Pennsylvania ratifying convention meeting at the Pennsylvania State House voted to ratify the Constitution of 1787. Five days earlier, Delaware had won the honor of being the first state to adopt the work of the Constitutional Convention.
Pennsylvania's early approval of the proposed document helped create momentum for ratification in the rest of the thirteen states. In Pennsylvania, however, opponents of the Constitution bitterly opposed the legislature's hasty action. "The Address and Reasons of Dissent of the Minority of the Convention . . . ," signed by twenty-one of the twenty-three members of the legislature who voted against ratification, outlines the grievances of the anti-federalists.
The minority charged that the Assembly's hasty action in calling a ratifying convention prevented the people of the state from debating the issue:The election for members of the [ratifying] convention was held at so early a period, and the want of information was so great, that some of us did not know of it until after it was over, and we have reason to believe that great numbers of the people of Pennsylvania have not yet had an opportunity of sufficiently examining the proposed constitution. "The Address and Reasons of Dissent of the Minority of the Convention,
of the State of Pennsylvania, to Their Constituents,"
printed by E. Oswald,
Philadelphia, 1787.
Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789 Passions over the vote ran so high that proponents of ratification had, as the anti-federalists bitterly recounted, arranged for a mob to seize and drag opponents to the State House, where they were "detained by force" to ensure a "quorum of the legislature." Ultimately, supporters of ratification secured victory on July 2, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution.
- Creating a Constitution, part of the Special Presentation To Form A More Perfect Union, provides an overview of the events leading up to ratification and an introduction to the documents in the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789 collection. Search the collection on a state name; for example, North Carolina AND Constitution, to find more documents pertaining to the frequently bitter battles in the states over ratification.
- Learn more about the Constitution by visiting THOMAS: Legislative Information on the Internet which not only provides access to current legislation but historical documents as well. Search or browse the text of the document, or explore the Federalist Papers, a series of essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison in support of ratification.
- View Today in History features on the ratification of the Constitution by Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York, and view the feature on the signing of the final draft of the Constitution by members of the Constitutional Convention.
