Pennsylvania Ratifies the Constitution
On December 12, 1787, Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the United States Constitution, following Delaware. This rapid ratification was crucial for the broader acceptance of the new governmental framework that arose from the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia earlier that year. The ratification process began when the Continental Congress sent the proposed Constitution to the states for consideration, prompting Pennsylvania's legislature to call a special convention for ratification. The Federalists, advocates for the Constitution, quickly mobilized to secure a convention before potential opposition could organize effectively. Despite initial resistance from Antifederalists, who feared the central government might infringe upon state sovereignty and individual rights, the Federalists prevailed in securing the necessary quorum for the assembly to proceed.
The ratifying convention convened on November 21, 1787, with a majority of elected delegates present. After extensive debate, the Constitution was ratified with a vote of 46 in favor and 23 against. This event marked an essential step in the establishment of the United States' foundational legal framework, reinforcing Pennsylvania's role in the early political landscape of the nation. Following the ratification, the convention held a public ceremony to announce the decision, emphasizing Pennsylvania's significant position as a key player in the formation of the United States.
Pennsylvania Ratifies the Constitution
Pennsylvania Ratifies the Constitution
On December 12, 1787, Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the United States Constitution of 1787. The state's quick acceptance was an important step in the adoption of the new frame of government.
On September 17, 1787, the members of the Constitutional Convention meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, concluded their labors and remitted their work to the Continental Congress, which was then functioning under the Articles of Confederation and meeting in New York City, the nation's first capital. On September 28 the congress gave its assent and sent the proposed Constitution to each of the 13 states, formerly the colonies of Great Britain. In each state the legislature was asked to call a special convention to examine the proposal and to vote on ratification.
In Pennsylvania, pro-Constitution forces were ready to act immediately. The Federalists, or supporters of the new frame of government, controlled the state legislature in 1787 and were anxious to pass the resolution required to set up a ratifying convention before the end of the session on September 29. If the Federalists had failed to make the enactment, the opponents of the Constitution would have gained invaluable time to organize their forces and even been able to gain control of the legislature. Such a development could have thwarted ratification in Pennsylvania and doomed the adoption of the new Constitution.
As soon as Congress decided to send the Constitution to the states, an express rider was dispatched from New York to Philadelphia with the news. Even before the horseman reached the city with official notification, however, on September 28 one George Clymer proposed in the Pennsylvania legislature that a state convention of deputies (chosen by the voters on the same day and in the same manner as members of the next general assembly) be called to meet at Philadelphia. Robert Whithill protested that no word had yet arrived from the Continental Congress and noted that Clymer's proposal violated the traditional procedure of notifying the assembly beforehand of the intention of submitting an important measure, of making the matter the order of the day, and of reading the bill three times.
Despite Whitehill's objections, the Federalists won approval by a vote of 43 to 19 for a convention to meet at Philadelphia. Satisfied with their efforts, the deputies then decided to take a recess until 4:00 P.M. before considering the manner of selecting the delegates and the date for their election. Antifederalist leaders used the hours before the afternoon session to plan their strategy. They concluded that their best hope lay in obstructing the conduct of the legislature until the final adjournment scheduled for the following day. These opponents of the Constitution could count only 19 supporters in their ranks, but if all of them stayed away from the meetings of the assembly, the 69-person body (from which several were already absent) would not be able to obtain the quorum of 46 members necessary to carry on its business.
Only 44 deputies appeared at the afternoon session. The speaker ordered the sergeant-at-arms to summon the absentees, but the Antifederalists would not heed the messenger. Lacking a quorum, the speaker had no choice but to adjourn the assembly until the following morning, September 29, the final day of the session. By the opening of the morning session, the rider sent by Bingham had delivered the congressional resolution, but still the Antifederalist delegates stayed away. The speaker again dispatched the sergeant-at-arms and the assistant clerk to gather them. The officers first went to the house of Major Alexander Boyd, where the opposition made their headquarters, and found James M'Calmont and Jacob Miley there. When M'Calmont and Miley refused to return to the State House with the sergeant and the clerk, a mob of citizens who favored the Constitution broke into the representatives' lodgings and dragged them through the streets to the assembly chamber. With the two unwilling and disheveled Antifederalists present, the legislature finally had a quorum and set the election of delegates to the state constitutional convention for the first Tuesday in November of 1787.
Opponents of the Constitution feared the extensive powers it would give the central government. They argued that the new frame of government was not a confederation but an undesirable government over individuals that threatened to destroy the sovereignty of the states that was so well protected by the Articles of Confederation. Of equal importance, the Congress would have direct powers over the lives, liberties, and properties of all citizens, and yet the Constitution offered no bill of rights to prevent governmental abuses.
Supporters of the Constitution argued that Congress, rather than being an omnipotent body, would enjoy only those powers expressly granted to it in the Constitution. Further, the new government posed no threat to the states. In fact, the legislatures of each state were to choose each state's United States senators and determine the mode of selection for electors in the Electoral College. The Federalists won the debate, and they were swept to victory in the elections for the Pennsylvania assembly and council, which preceded the selection of delegates to the ratifying convention. Their success proved to be prophetic of the outcome of the later elections, which took place on November 6, 1787, and resulted in a crushing Federalist victory.
Pennsylvania's ratifying convention opened on November 21 at the State House in Philadelphia with 60 of the 69 elected delegates in attendance. The opposing sides spent a week arguing about procedures and then devoted two more weeks to a detailed discussion of the proposed Constitution. Finally, on December 12 the members of the convention cast their ballots-46 were in favor of the new government and 23 were against it. The following day the convention, joined by the president and vice-president of Pennsylvania and all the state dignitaries, both civil and military, went in procession to the State House and read the ratification ordinance to a gathering of the citizenry. On December 15 the convention adjourned.
Among the 13 former British colonies, the order of statehood is usually calculated on the basis of the date of ratification of the Constitution. Thus Pennsylvania, which ratified the Constitution only five days after Delaware, is listed as the second state.