Ratification: Getting the States to Agree

Ratification was the process of getting the states to agree to the new Constitution after it was written. Delegates from each state met in Philadelphia in 1787 to create the Constitution, but it needed approval from nine out of thirteen states to become law.

Some states were hesitant and demanded a Bill of Rights to protect individual freedoms. After much debate and compromise, the Constitution was ratified in 1788, forming the foundation of the U. S. government.