Who was the last state to ratify the Constitution?
Asked by: Sienna Bartoletti | Last update: August 2, 2025Score: 4.2/5 (51 votes)
It was not until May 29, 1790, that the last state, Rhode Island, finally ratified the Constitution.
Which were the two last states to ratify the Constitution?
So, by the end of July 1788, 11 states had ratified the new Constitution, including critical states like Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York. Interestingly, the final two states—North Carolina and Rhode Island—wouldn't ratify the Constitution until after the new government was already established.
Why was Rhode Island last to ratify the Constitution?
There were several reasons for Rhode Island's resistance including its concern that the Constitution gave too much power to the central government at the expense of the states. The Constitution would also have made the state's practice of printing paper money illegal.
Why did North Carolina not ratify the Constitution?
One of the major reasons for North Carolina not ratifying the Constitution was its lack of a Bill of Rights. The delegates, however, proposed a series of amendments to personal liberties and urged the new federal Congress to adopt measures to incorporate a bill of rights into the Constitution.
Which of the 13 states did not ratify the Constitution?
The Constitution encountered stiff opposition. The vote was 187 to 168 in Massachusetts, 57 to 47 in New Hampshire, 30 to 27 in New York, and 89 to 79 in Virginia. Two states, North Carolina and Rhode Island, refused to ratify the new plan of government.
Why did only 9 states ratify the constitution?
What states haven't ratified the era?
The 15 states whose legislatures did not ratify the Equal Rights Amendment by the 1982 deadline are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, and Virginia.
Who is often called the father of the constitution?
Definition. The term 'Father of the Constitution' refers to James Madison, who played a pivotal role in drafting and promoting the United States Constitution during the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
What was North Carolina called before it became a state?
North Carolina became one of the Thirteen Colonies and with the territory of South Carolina was originally known as the Province of North Carolina. The northern and southern parts of the original province separated in 1712, with North Carolina becoming a royal colony in 1729.
Why did New York not want to ratify the Constitution?
In New York, the Anti-Federalists argued that the new and more powerful national government operating under a constitution that did not include a Bill of Rights would seriously endanger both the rights of individual citizens and the rights of the states.
What amendment did North Carolina ratify twice?
The following states ratified the Twenty-seventh Amendment: Maryland – December 19, 1789. North Carolina – December 22, 1789 (Reaffirmed on July 4, 1989)
What word is not found in the Constitution?
Most people, including most Americans, would be surprised to learn that the word “democracy” does not appear in the Declaration of Independence (1776) or the Constitution of the United States of America (1789).
Who was the only delegate to later be president?
Delegates Who Later Held Public Office
Washington and Madison became President of the United States, and King and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney were nominated as candidates for the office.
Which states voted unanimously for the Constitution?
Five state conventions voted to approve the Constitution almost immediately (December 1787 to January 1788) and in all of them the vote was unanimous (Delaware, New Jersey, Georgia) or lopsided (Pennsylvania, Connecticut).
What came before the Constitution?
The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777. This document served as the United States' first constitution. It was in force from March 1, 1781, until 1789 when the present-day Constitution went into effect.
What is the purpose of article 7?
The text of Article VII declares that the Constitution shall become the official law of the ratifying states when nine states ratified the document. When New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify on June 21, 1788, the Constitution became good law. End of story.
Why did George Mason not want to ratify the Constitution?
As a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Mason refused to sign the Constitution and lobbied against its ratification in his home state, believing the document as drafted gave too much power to a central government and was incomplete absent a bill of rights to guarantee individual liberty.
Why did North Carolina wait so long to ratify the Constitution?
After debating for eleven days, it became clear that the Constitution would not be ratified in North Carolina until a Bill of Rights was added. By a vote of 184 to 83, North Carolina decided not to ratify or reject the Constitution and provided a list of rights and suggested amendments for Americans.
What was the nickname for the Connecticut plan?
The Connecticut Compromise, also known as the Great Compromise of 1787 or Sherman Compromise, was an agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that in part defined the legislative structure and representation each state would have under the United States Constitution.
Why is it called tar heels?
Workers who distilled turpentine from the sticky sap of pine trees and burned pine boughs to produce tar and pitch often went barefoot during hot summer months and undoubtedly collected tar on their heels. To call someone a “rosin heel” or “tar heel” was to imply that they worked in a lowly trade.
What was South Carolina originally called?
King Charles I of England granted the land on which South Carolina is located to Sir Robert Heath in 1629. The region was named Carolus, a word derived from the Latin form of Charles, in reference to King Charles.
Who was the fourth president of the United States of America?
James Madison, Founding Father, architect of the Constitution, and fourth President of the United States, was born on March 16, 1751 at his mother's home in Port Conway, Virginia, on the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg.
What is a famous quote that James Madison said?
James Madison
"The effect of [a representative democracy is] to refine and enlarge the public views, by passing them through the medium of a chosen body of citizens, whose wisdom may best discern the true interest of the nation…”
What was the 3-5 law?
The Three-Fifths Compromise was reached among state delegates during the 1787 Constitutional Convention. It determined that three out of every five slaves were counted when determining a state's total population for legislative representation and taxation.