CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES.—We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common de fense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to our selves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Unitea. States of America.
Adoption.—On Sept. 28, 1787, in Con stitutional Convention, in Philadelphia, the "Constitution of the United States" was adopted. The convention had given four months to its consideration. In its final preparation it was assigned to a committee consisting of Governeur Mor ris, of Pennsylvania; William S. John son, of Connecticut; Alexander Hamil ton, of New York; James Madison, of Virginia; and Rufus King, of Massa chusetts. In this committee, by common consent, the work was intrusted mainly to Morris, who wrote out the entire doc ument. With come minor changes the work was adopted by the convention as written, and sent out to the several States at the above date, for ratification.
Ratification of Constitution. — The Constitution was ratified by the 13 orig inal States in the following order: Delaware, Dec. 7, 1787, unanimously.
Pennsylvania, Dec. 12, 1787, vote 46 to 23.
New Jersey, Dec. 18, 1787, unani mously.
Georgia, Jan. 2, 1788, unanimously. Connecticut, Jan. 9, 1788, vot. 128 to 40.
Massachusetts, Feb. 6, 1788, vote 187 to 168.
Maryland, April 28, 1788, vote 63 to 12.
South Carolina, May 28, 1788, vote 149 to 73.
New Hampshire, June 21, 1788, vote 57 to 46.
Virginia, June 25, 1788, vote 89 to 79. New York, July 26, 1788, vote 30 to 28. North Carolina, Nov. 21, 1789, vote 193 to 75.
Rhode Island, May 29, 1790, vote 34 to 32.
Ratification of Amendments.— I. to X. inclusive were declared in force Dec. 15, 1791.
XI. was declared in force Jan. 8, 1798.
XII., regulating elections, was rati fied by all the States except Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, which rejected it. It was declared in force Sept. 28, 1804.
XIII. The emancipation amendment Xiii. The emancipation amendment was ratified by 31 of the 36 States; re jected by Delaware and Kentucky, not acted on by Texas; conditionally ratified by Alabama and Mississippi. Proclaimed Dec. 18, 1865.
XIV. Reconstruction amendment was ratified by 23 Northern States; rejected by Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and 10 Southern States, and not acted on by California. The 10 Southern States sub sequently ratified it. Proclaimed July 28, 1866.
XV. Negro citizenship amendment was not acted on by Tennessee, rejected by California, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, and Oregon; rat ified by the remaining 30 States. New York rescinded its ratification Jan. 5, 1870. Proclaimed March 30, 1870.