Constitution
Article VII of the United States Constitution
Text from National Archives. Explanation last updated September 29, 2026. How we check this
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In plain English
Article VII sets the rule for the Constitution itself to take effect: ratification by the conventions of nine of the thirteen states would establish it among the states that ratified.
The Constitutional Convention approved the text on September 17, 1787. It became binding when New Hampshire, the ninth state, ratified on June 21, 1788, and the new government began in 1789.
The text
As printed by the source cited at the end of this page, with its original spelling, capitalization and punctuation.
The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same.
done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven and of the Independance of the United States of America the Twelfth In witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our Names,
Explained section by section
Nine states, in conventions
The Articles of Confederation required unanimous approval by all thirteen states to amend them. Article VII sets a lower bar of nine states, and it calls for conventions of the people in each state instead of ratification by ordinary legislatures, reinforcing the claim in the Preamble that the Constitution rests on the consent of the people.
“Done in Convention”
The closing attestation records that the Constitution was completed “by the Unanimous Consent of the States present” on September 17, 1787, in the twelfth year of American independence. It was signed by delegates; the signatures are on the engrossed parchment and are not reproduced in this transcription.
Context and current status
Article VII is why ratification was one of the great public debates of the early republic. Federalists and Anti-Federalists argued in newspapers and in state conventions from late 1787 to 1788. Delaware was first to ratify on December 7, 1787.
Current textual status: fulfilled and historical. It set the process for creating the Constitution, and the last of the thirteen states, Rhode Island, ratified on May 29, 1790, after the government was already in operation.
Terms to know
- Ratification
- Formal approval by a state’s convention or legislature.
- Convention
- An assembly of delegates chosen by the people of a state to decide a specific question.
- Engrossed
- Written out in final formal form for signing.
Common misconceptions
“All thirteen states had to approve for the Constitution to go into effect.”
Article VII required only nine. Rhode Island and North Carolina ratified after the new government had been established.
How it connects
Links to related provisions and documents, with the reason each one matters here.
- PreamblePreamble to the United States ConstitutionThe Preamble says “We the People” ordain the Constitution; Article VII is the mechanism by which they did.
- Articles of ConfederationArticles of Confederation (1777)Article XIII of the Articles demanded unanimity for change, the rule that Article VII bypassed.
- Federalist No. 10The Union as a Safeguard Against FactionFederalist No. 10 was one of the essays written to persuade New York voters during the ratification debate.
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Sources and corrections
- Text: National Archives. Checked against the source on September 29, 2026.National Archives transcription of the engrossed Constitution, with original spelling and capitalization. The signature block and the Convention's interlineation note are not reproduced.
- The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription — National Archives
- The Constitution of the United States: A History — National Archives
Educational material, not legal advice. Spotted a mistake? Tell us; corrections change this page’s update date.