US CONSTITUTION RATIFIED 227 YEARS AGO WITH NH VOTE
Exeter, New Hampshire (JFK+50) The Constitution of the United States of America was signed in Philadelphia on the 17th day of September in 1787, but it did not become the law of the land until it was ratified by nine of the thirteen states.
On June 21, 1788, 227 years ago today, the state of New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution and in doing so made it the supreme law of the land.
The New Hampshire Ratification Convention met here in Exeter* which served as the first capital of the state from 1775 to 1789.According to "Teaching American History," the expected vote in New Hampshire was 52-52, but the final tally came in at 57-47.
The representatives of Grafton, Strafford and Rockingham counties voted with the Federalists, but those of Cheshire and Hillsborough went with the anti-Federalists.
In his State of the Union address to Congress on January 11, 1962, President John F. Kennedy said:"The Constitution makes us not rivals for power but partners for progress. We are all trustees for the American people, custodians of the American heritage."
*Exeter, New Hampshire was founded in 1638. Today it has a population of about 14,500 and is named after the historic city located in Devon, England. Exeter is the home of the fastest growing arms manufacturing company, SIG SAUER, INC., which supplies one-third of the weapons used by police in the United States.
SOURCE
"Maps of the Ratification of the Constitution," Teaching American History, www.teachingamericanhistory.org/
Exeter Waterfront and Commercial District
Photo by John Phelan (2012)
CC-SA 3.0
