The Alexander Hamilton Collection of John E. Herzog

New York ratifies the Constitution of the United States

"We, the Delegates of the People of the state of New-York, duly elected and met in Convention, having maturely considered the Constitution for the United States of America, agree to on the 17th day of September, 1787, by the Convention then assembled at Philadelphia in Pennsylvania State and having also seriously and deliberately considered the present situation of the United States, DO DECLARE AND MAKE KNOWN..."

Providence, (Rhode Island): Bennett Wheeler, Thursday, August 14, 1788. Vol. V, Number 242. Bifolium sheet, 16 3/4 x 10 1/2 in. (425 x 267mm). (4) pp. Printed newspaper in three columns. Reports on the first page the ratification of the Constitution by the state of New York. Creasing from original folds; toned; scattered spotting. Lot includes a copy of The Federalist (Philadelphia: M'Carty and Davis, 1826. A New Edition).

Largely through the Herculean efforts of Alexander Hamilton, New York became the 11th state to ratify the Constitution, by a vote of 30-27, on July 26, 1788, one of the last states to do so. The debates concerning ratification held during the New York ratifying convention were contentious, with the pro-adoption Federalists, led by Hamilton (the only delegate from New York at the Constitutional Convention to sign the Constitution) pitted against the anti-adoption faction, the Anti-Federalists, led by New York Governor, George Clinton, and New York merchant Melancton Smith. The Anti-Federalists, wary of Federal encroachment on state's rights, sought amendments to the Constitution, as well as the inclusion of a Bill of Rights before they would consider throwing their support behind it. Ultimately, with the adoption by New Hampshire and Virginia occurring during New York's convention, the Federalists prevailed, but the Anti-Federalists managed to include the aforementioned list of proposed amendments and a Bill of Rights, with the stipulation that they were to be considered before the state would fully participate in the new government.

Printed in Rhode Island, the last state to ratify the Constitution. After much controversy, Rhode Island ratified the document over two years after this publication, on May 29, 1790. They were the only state to not send a delegate to the Constitutional Convention that approved it, on September 17, 1787. They made 11 unsuccessful attempts to hold a state ratifying convention, only approving it after the United States threatened a trade embargo against them. The state's sole representative, Benjamin Bourne, arrived five months late to the First Congress, on August 31, 1790.