ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, JUNE 21, 1788, NEW HAMPSHIRE RATIFIED THE CONSTITUTION, THUS CREATING OUR CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER: Article VII called for at least 9 states to agree before the Constitution would go into effect (whether or not the remaining 4 states joined in).  New Hampshire was the 9th, and thus its act was enough to declare the Constitution officially ratified.

But two of the largest states–Virginia and New York–were still not in, so few expected this as the end of the story.  Indeed, Virginia ratified only four days later (June 25), and New York signed on a month later on July 26, 1788.

The last two of the original 13 took much longer.  During the summer of 1788, North Carolina’s first ratifying convention declined to either ratify or reject the Constitution.  North Carolina ultimately had to start the process again with a new convention, which ratified on November 21, 1789.  By that point, George Washington was already President.  Rhode Island didn’t ratify until May 29, 1790.  Rhode Island had been told in no uncertain terms that if it didn’t ratify, it would be treated as a foreign nation for the purposes of trade, etc.  That was enough “persuasion.”