Milford chronicle., 1931-12-04
Delaware First To
Ratify The United
States Constitution

W. AJOAAtJ A0Al
December seventh is an imports tam
date in the history of the State ul
Delaware and indeed in the nati1n
On this date in the year 1887 the
Diamond State passed the resolu-
tion of ratification of The FEEDER al
Constitution. The date is d0ubly
significant as Delaware was the first
in the original thirteen states TO dc
so. In spite of her small size, Dgla-
ware had always been at the fore in
matters of national import. She had
contributed to the Revolution in
money and men, and mad presented
a great leader in the person Of John
Dickinson, whose influence was TO
be felt throughout the new naticn.
The story of Delaware'5 ratilica-
tion, according to the United States
George Washington Bicentenn:al
Commission is as follows:
After the War of Independence.
when the former colonies of Great
Britain found themselves free from
the Mother Country, they discovered
that all their problems were not yet
settled Many perpleXities con-
fronted them, threatening to plunge
the new nation into chaos and an
archy. All were agreed that the old
Articles of Conferation were now
wholly inadequate to meet the needs
of the new nation. The people them
selves were influenced in their Opin-
ions by sectional interests, while the
States, with their jealousies and re-
strictive ideas of local sovereignty,
presented anything but an appear
ance of national unity.
Finally, the situation. became so
acute that a convention was called
to consider and effect a revision of
the Articles of Confederation. This
convention, growing out of the An
napolis convention which had been
called by Virginia to settle trade
disputes in 1886, met in Phi'adel-
phia in the summer of 1887. 1t in
cluded in its personnel most of the
leading men of the country. George
Washington, the great Commander
in-Chief of the Revolutionary forces,
NuS GlGClGu lCOluCill anu LllG nv
mentous discussion was soon under
way. Among the members of this
great body were Benjamin Franklin,
from Pennsylvania; James Madison
from Virginia, and Alexander Ham
iltOn from New York. Delaware
sent George Read. Cunning Bed
ford, Jr., John Dickinson, Richard
Bassett and Jacob Broom.
The session was held behind clos
cd doors, and after long weeks of
hot debate and compromise, appear
ed the Federal Constitution, an in
novatiol and an experiment i'm gov
ernment. The completed document
was sent to the states for ratilica-
ton on September 2S, 1887, on
which date began another long
struggle, this time to secure the APP
proval of at least nine of the states,
which constituted the necessary ma
jority to put the Constitution into /
effect.
John Dickinson, delegate from
Delaware, on his return home from .
this convention wrote a series of /
nine pamphlets signed "Fabus" in /
which he discussed the COnstitu- |
tion and urged its adoption. George |
wIote his approval of
these documents, before he knew the
identity of their author. Dickin-
sons efforts were an Outstanding
to the political litera-
ture of the time aud undoubtedly
went far to influence the popular
mind i'll favor of the Constitution.
When the State Legislature met in
Delaware on October "a, il immedi-
ately adopted measures to call
for the purpose Of ADOPT
ing the Constitution. This concIave
met in Dover on the first week in
December and acted with surprising
dispatch. The resolution of ratifica-
lion was unanimously passed on
December 7, 1887 and Delaware thus
became the first state To adopt the
Federal Constitution. Only two
'ther states, Pennsylvania and New
Jersey took action that year.