Ratifying Conventions

[Keith Broaders]

The Constitution was not ratified directly by the people of the states,  it was ratified by delegates elected by the people of the several states.

In some of the states the number of delegates was relatively small.. Only 26 men from Georgia, 30 men from Delaware, 57 men from New York  and 38 men from New Jersey were elected to represent their state in their states ratification convention.

The delegates of these ratifying conventions were all white, male property owners. Did they vote benefit themselves and their posterity or did they vote in favor of doing what was in the best interests of all of the people in their state?

Only 1,648 delegates were elected by rich white men

and only 1,071 out of nearly 4,000.000 people voted in favor of ratification,i

• December 7, 1787: Delaware ratifies. Vote: 30 for, 0 against.
• December 12, 1787: Pennsylvania ratifies. Vote: 46 for, 23 against.
• December 18, 1787: New Jersey ratifies. Vote: 38 for, 0 against.    
• January 2,788: Georgia ratifies. Vote: 26 for, 0 against.    
• January 9, 1788: Connecticut ratifies. Vote: 128 for, 40 against.  
• February 6, 1788: Massachusetts ratifies. Vote: 187 for, 168 against.
• April 28, 1788: Maryland ratifies. Vote: 63 for, 11 against.
• May 23, 1788: South Carolina ratifies. Vote: 149 for, 73 against.
• June 21, 1788: New Hampshire ratifies. Vote: 57 for, 47 against.
• June 25, 1788: Virginia ratifies. Vote: 89 for, 79 against.
• July 26, 1788: New York ratifies. Vote: 30 for, 27 against.
• November 21, 1789: North Carolina ratifies. Vote: 194 for, 77 against.
• May 29, 1790: Rhode Island ratifies. Vote: 34 for, 32 against.

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