Timeline of drafting and ratification of the United States Constitution

The drafting of the Constitution of the United States began on May 25, 1787, when the Constitutional Convention met for the first time with a quorum at the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to revise the Articles of Confederation.

It ended on September 17, 1787, the day the Frame of Government drafted by the convention's delegates to replace the Articles was adopted and signed.

The ratification process for the Constitution began that day, and ended when the final state, Rhode Island, ratified it on May 29, 1790.

It concludes with the unique ratification vote of the Vermont Republic, which at the time was a sovereign state outside the Union.

The time span covered is 5 years, 9 months, from March 25, 1785 to January 10, 1791.

Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
South facade of Independence Hall (formerly the Pennsylvania Statehouse), Philadelphia, where the Constitution was forged
George Washington, President of the Constitutional Convention
George Washington , who served as president of the 1787 Constitutional Convention
Nathaniel Gorham, Chairman of the Committee of the Whole
Nathaniel Gorham , who served as chairman when delegates met as a Committee of the Whole
Voting record of the Constitutional Convention, September 15, 1787
The convention voting record, which reflects the mutual concessions and compromises that produced the Constitution; this page records the final vote taken September 15, 1787
Scene at the Signing of the United States Constitution
Howard Chandler Christy 's 1940 Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States
A 1787 advertisement for The Federalist
An advertisement for The Federalist , 1787, using the pseudonym "Philo-Publius"
Dates the 13 states ratified the Constitution
Federal Hall, New York, New York
Federal Hall , New York City, first seat of government of the United States under the Constitution
George Washington, inaugurated as President, April 30, 1789
George Washington's inauguration as the first President of the United States, April 30, 1789
Original parchment pages of the United States Constitution
Original parchment pages of the United States Constitution