Timeline Of Drafting And Ratification Of The United States Constitution
From the 1786 Annapolis Convention, which recommended the calling of a Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia, to the end of the last state ratifying convention in 1791, the process of drafting and ratifying the United States Constitution took nearly four years. This timeline documents important events in that process.
After the Annapolis Convention, the states, with the exception of Rhode Island, elected delegates to the Constitutional Convention, which finally began deliberations on May 25, 1787. The Convention lasted until September 17, 1787. (Events at the Convention are listed on a blue background.) Once the Constitution was endorsed and signed by the Convention, it was transmitted to the states for ratification.
The process for ratification in each state was approximately the same: the state legislature called a state ratifying convention to decide whether or not that state would ratify the proposed Constitution. Delegates were elected to the ratifying conventions, and ultimately each state ratified the Constitution, although North Carolina had to hold a second convention after the first refused to ratify. (State ratifications are listed on a red background.) In addition to documenting these processes, this timeline includes other important events, such as the progress of the newly formed government and the publication of significant documents relating to the ratification debates.
| Date | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| September 11, 1786 | Annapolis Convention begins | |
| October 11, 1786 | Congress of the Confederation creates committee to review report of the Annapolis Convention | |
| November 23, 1786 | Election of delegates to Philadelphia Convention is authorized – Virginia | |
| November 23, 1786 | Election of delegates to Philadelphia Convention – New Jersey | |
| December 4, 1786 | Election of delegates to Philadelphia Convention – Virginia | |
| December 30, 1786 | Election of delegates to Philadelphia Convention – Pennsylvania | |
| January 6, 1787 | Election of delegates to Philadelphia Convention – North Carolina | |
| January 17, 1787 | Election of delegates to Philadelphia Convention – New Hampshire | |
| February 3, 1787 | Election of delegates to Philadelphia Convention – Delaware | |
| February 10, 1787 | Election of delegates to Philadelphia Convention – Georgia | |
| February 21, 1787 | Congress resolves in favor of a constitutional convention | |
| February 26,1787 | Election of delegates to Philadelphia Convention is authorized – Massachusetts | |
| February 28, 1787 | Election of delegates to Philadelphia Convention is authorized – New York | |
| March 3, 1787 | Election of delegates to Philadelphia Convention – Massachusetts | |
| March 6, 1787 | Election of delegates to Philadelphia Convention – New York | |
| March 8, 1787 | Election of delegates to Philadelphia Convention – South Carolina | |
| March 14, 1787 | Rhode Island declines to elect delegates to Philadelphia Convention | |
| April 23, 1787 | Election of delegates to Philadelphia Convention – Maryland | |
| May 5, 1787 | Rhode Island declines to elect delegates to Philadelphia Convention (2nd time) | |
| May 14, 1787 | First meeting of Philadelphia Convention – no quorum present | |
| May 14, 1787 | Election of delegates to Philadelphia Convention – Connecticut | |
| May 25, 1787 | Convention meets with quorum for first time | |
| May 29, 1787 | Virginia Plan presented to Convention by Edmund Randolph | |
| June 11, 1787 | Connecticut Compromise proposed to Convention by Roger Sherman | |
| June 15, 1787 | New Jersey Plan presented to Convention by William Paterson | |
| June 16, 1787 | Rhode Island declines to elect delegates to Philadelphia Convention (3rd time) | |
| June 23, 1787 | Convention establishes the Committee of Detail chaired by John Rutledge | The Committee of Detail was formed to put down a draft text reflecting the agreements made by the Convention up to that point. |
| September 8, 1787 | Convention establishes the Committee of Style chaired by William Samuel Johnson | The Committee of Style was formed to set down and revise the actual text of the Constitution |
| September 17, 1787 | Proposed Constitution signed; Convention adjourns indefinitely | |
| September 20, 1787 | The proposed Constitution is read in Congress of the Confederation | |
| September 26, 1787 | Congress takes up debate on the proposed Constitution | |
| September 28, 1787 | Congress of the Confederation refers the proposed Constitution to the states | |
| September 28, 1787 | State convention for ratification called – Pennsylvania | |
| October 17, 1787 | State convention for ratification called – Connecticut | |
| October 25, 1787 | State convention for ratification called – Massachusetts | |
| October 26, 1787 | State convention for ratification called – Georgia | |
| October 27, 1787 | First Federalist Paper appears | |
| October 31, 1787 | State convention for ratification called – Virginia | |
| November 1, 1787 | State convention for ratification called – New Jersey | |
| November 6, 1787 | Delegates to state convention elected – Pennsylvania | |
| November 8, 1787 | The first Federal Farmer pamphlet appears in New York | |
| November 10, 1787 | State convention for ratification called – Delaware | |
| November 12, 1787 | Delegates to state convention elected – Connecticut | |
| November 19, 1787 | Delegates to state convention elected – Massachusetts | |
| November 20, 1787 | Ratifying convention begins – Pennsylvania | |
| November 26, 1787 | Delegates to state convention elected – Delaware | |
| November 27, 1787 | State convention for ratification called – Maryland | |
| November 27, 1787 | Delegates to state convention elected – New Jersey | |
| December 3, 1787 | Ratifying convention begins – Delaware | |
| December 4, 1787 | Delegates to state convention elected – Georgia | |
| December 6, 1787 | State convention for ratification called – North Carolina | |
| December 7, 1787 | Constitution is ratified – Delaware | Unanimous vote - 30-0 |
| December 11, 1787 | Ratifying convention begins – New Jersey | |
| December 12, 1787 | Constitution is ratified – Pennsylvania | Vote 46-23 |
| December 14, 1787 | State convention for ratification called – New Hampshire | |
| December 18, 1787 | Constitution is ratified – New Jersey | Unanimous vote - 38-0 |
| December 18, 1787 | Pennsylvania convention minority publishes their "Dissent" | |
| December 25, 1787 | Ratifying convention begins – Georgia | |
| December 31, 1787 | Delegates to state convention elected – New Hampshire | |
| January 2, 1788 | Constitution is ratified – Georgia | Unanimous vote - 26-0 |
| January 3, 1788 | Ratifying convention begins – Connecticut | |
| January 9, 1788 | Constitution is ratified – Connecticut | Vote 128-40 |
| January 9, 1788 | Ratifying convention begins – Massachusetts | |
| January 19, 1788 | State convention for ratification called – South Carolina | |
| February 1, 1788 | State convention for ratification called – New York | |
| February 6, 1788 | Constitution is ratified – Massachusetts | Vote 187-168 |
| February 13, 1788 | Ratifying convention begins – New Hampshire (first session) | The first session ends February 22 |
| March 1, 1788 | Rhode Island calls for popular referendum on the proposed Constitution | |
| March 3, 1788 | Delegates to state convention elected – Virginia | |
| March 24, 1788 | Rhode Island votes down Constitution in referendum | |
| March 28, 1788 | Delegates to state convention elected – North Carolina | |
| April 7, 1788 | Delegates to state convention elected – Maryland | |
| April 11, 1788 | Delegates to state convention elected – South Carolina | |
| April 21, 1788 | Ratifying convention begins – Maryland | |
| April 28, 1788 | Constitution is ratified – Maryland | Vote 63-11 |
| April 29, 1788 | Delegates to state convention elected – New York | |
| May 12, 1788 | Ratifying convention begins – South Carolina | |
| May 23, 1788 | Constitution is ratified – South Carolina | Vote 149-73 |
| June 2, 1788 | Ratifying convention begins – Virginia | |
| June 17, 1788 | Ratifying convention begins – New York | |
| June 18, 1788 | Ratifying convention begins – New Hampshire (second session) | |
| June 21, 1788 | Constitution is ratified – New Hampshire | Vote 57-47 |
| June 21, 1788 | Constitution is now established by the ratification of nine states | |
| June 25, 1788 | Constitution is ratified – Virginia | Vote 89-79 |
| July 2, 1788 | Congress of the Confederation creates a committee to put the new government into operation | |
| July 21, 1788 | Ratifying convention begins – North Carolina (first convention) | |
| July 26, 1788 | Constitution is ratified – New York | Vote 30-27 |
| August 2, 1788 | First North Carolina convention refuses to ratify Constitution without amendments | |
| September 13, 1788 | Congress of the Confederation sets date for first meeting of the new government and the Presidential election | |
| November 30, 1788 | Second state convention for ratification called – North Carolina | |
| March 4, 1789 | First Congress of the United States of America is seated | |
| April 30, 1789 | George Washington is inaugurated as the first President of the United States | |
| August 21, 1789 | Delegates to state convention elected – North Carolina | |
| September 26, 1789 | Congress of the United States sends twelve amendments to the Constitution to the states for ratification. The last ten were eventually enacted as the Bill of Rights. | |
| November 16, 1789 | Ratifying convention begins – North Carolina (second convention) | |
| November 21, 1789 | Constitution is ratified – North Carolina | Vote 194-77 |
| January 17, 1790 | State convention for ratification called – Rhode Island | |
| February 8, 1790 | Delegates to state convention elected – Rhode Island | |
| March 1, 1790 | Ratifying convention begins – Rhode Island (first session) | First session ends March 6 |
| May 24, 1790 | Ratifying convention begins – Rhode Island (second session) | |
| May 29, 1790 | Constitution is ratified – Rhode Island | Vote 34-32 |
| October 17, 1790 | Treaty signed between New York and Vermont, paving the way for the latter's admission to the Union | |
| October 27, 1790 | State convention for ratification called – Vermont | |
| December 4, 1790 | Delegates to state convention elected – Vermont | |
| January 9, 1791 | Ratifying convention begins – Vermont | |
| January 10, 1791 | Constitution is ratified – Vermont | Vote 108-5 |
| December 15, 1791 | Bill of Rights comes into force on ratification by Virginia |
Read more about Timeline Of Drafting And Ratification Of The United States Constitution: General References
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