Ratification of the Constitution

What is the Ratification of the Constitution?

The Ratification of the Constitution took place on June 21st, 1788. The Philadelphia Convention of 1787, which is also known as the Constitutional Convention, began on May 5th, 1787; this convention consisted of the finalization of the drafting process of the Constitution of the United States – the Constitution was finalized on September 17th, 1787.

How Long Did the Ratification of the Constitution Take?

The process concerning the Ratification of the Constitution was ambiguous in applicable procedure; due to the statutes expressed within the Articles of Confederation - the existing legislative document prior to the Ratification of the Constitution – a clash existing between preexisting legislation and legislation latent within the Constitution of the United States added difficulty to the subsequent ratification process:

Articles of Confederation and theRatification of the Constitution

The statutes regarding ratification expressed within Articles of Confederation mandated that legislation could only be ratified as a result of the collective approval of the entirety of the 13 United States:

The perceived inadequacies within the initial precepts of Articles of Confederation were contributory to the effort to replace it with the Constitution; this measure was enacted by the Founding Fathers – the fathers of the Constitution were concerned that a single state could overturn an otherwise-communal consent

Constitutional Articles with Regard to the Ratification of the Constitution

In contrast to the ratification process expressed within Articles of Confederation, the process conveyed within the Constitution of the United States with regard to a ratification process expressed that the approval of no less than 9 states – out of the total 12 – would be required for the ratification of Amendments:

Despite the Articles of Confederation, the new - Constitutional - process addressing the procedure in conjunction to the Ratification of the Constitution replaced the preexisting ratification protocol

The Ratification of the Constitution took place on June 21st, 1788 subsequent to the approval of 9 out of the 12 States

Which States Participated in the Ratification of the Constitution?

Although 9 States initially participated in the Ratification of the Constitution on an individual basis, each of the original 12 States subsequently ratified the Constitution:

The First 9 States

1. Delaware

2. Pennsylvania

3. New Jersey

4. Georgia

5. Connecticut

6. Massachusetts

7. Maryland

8. South Carolina

9. New Hampshire

Subsequent Ratification of the Constitution

10. Virginia

11. New York

12. North Carolina

13. Rhode Island - Rhode Island rejected the Constitution of the United States until May 29th, 1790

Difficulties Experienced With Regard to the Ratification of the Constitution

A major contingency of the ratification of the Constitution of the United States on the part of each individual state was their collective acceptance of a viable process of the selection of legislative representation; the protocol for representation expressed within the Articles of Confederation was viewed as flawed due to its uniformity with regard to every State – every state was granted equal apportionment regardless of size or population. The following proposals were set forth prior to the approval of the Connecticut Plan and subsequent ratification of the Constitution:

The Virginia Plan

The Virginia Plan was based on a bicameral legislative model based inspired by a form of republicanism. The Virginia Plan proposed that Congress be comprised of 2 legislative entities, the lower and upper houses

The Lower Houses would be elected commensurate to each states’ population, and The Upper House would be elected by The Lower House

The New Jersey Plan:

The New Jersey Plan illustrated a unicameral legislation consisting of a single Congressional legislative body in which each state would have an equal number of representatives

The Connecticut Plan:

The Connecticut Compromise introduced a legislative body that consisted of the House of Representatives and a Senate; State Representatives elected to go to the House of Representatives was commensurate on the population of the respective state

The number of senators - those individuals selected by each state to serve as representatives in the Senate - was uniform; every state, regardless of size was allowed two.