United States Constitution Article VII
Article VII
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 Independence of the United States of America the Twelfth In Witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our Names,
Go. Washington—Presidt.
And deputy from Virginia
New Hampshire John Langdon
Nicholas Gilman
Massachusetts Nathaniel Gorham
Rufus King
Connecticut Wm. Saml. Johnson
Roger Sherman
New York Alexander Hamilton
New Jersey Wil: Livingston
David Brearley
Wm. Paterson
Jona. Dayton
Pennsylvania B Franklin
Thomas Mifflin
Robt Morris
Geo. Clymer
Thos. FitzSimons
Jared Ingersoll
James Wilson
Gouv Morris
Delaware Geo: Read
Gunning Bedford jun
John Dickinson
Richard Bassett
Jaco: Broom
Maryland James McHenry
Dan of St. Thos. Jenifer
Danl Carroll
Virginia John Blair—
James Madison Jr.
North Carolina Wm. Blount
Richd. Dobbs Spaight
Hu Williamson
South Carolina J. Rutledge
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
Charles Pinckney
Pierce Butler
Georgia William Few
Abr Baldwin
Attest William Jackson Secretary
Article 7 of the United States Constitution serves as the final affirmation of the document's legitimacy and authority. This article outlines the process by which the Constitution was to be ratified by the states. It states that once nine states had ratified the Constitution, it would become the governing law of those states. The inclusion of this provision was a crucial step in securing the unity of the newly formed nation, as it established the framework for the acceptance of the Constitution and the formation of the federal government. Article 7 stands as a testament to the founders' foresight in creating a system that allowed for the consent and participation of the states in shaping the nation's future.