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   the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the
   Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the
   Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect
   the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first
   Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of
   its equal Suffrage in the Senate.
   
Article. VI.

   Clause 1: All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before
   the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the
   United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.
   
   Clause 2: This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which
   shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which
   shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the
   supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound
   thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the
   Contrary notwithstanding.
   
   Clause 3: The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the
   Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and
   judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several
   States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this
   Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a
   Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
   
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
   
   [Signed also by the deputies of twelve States.]
   
   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 1ACotesworth Pinckney
   Charles Pinckney
   Pierce Butler.
   
   Georgia
   
   William Few
   Abr Baldwin
   
   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
   
   Attest William Jackson Secretary
   
   NOTES
   
   Note 1: This text of the Constitution follows the engrossed copy
   signed by Gen. Washington and the deputies from 12 States. The small
   superior figures preceding the paragraphs designate Clauses, and were
   not in the original and have no reference to footnotes.
   
   The Constitution was adopted by a convention of the States on
   September 17, 1787, and was subsequently ratified by the several
   States, on the following dates: Delaware, December 7, 1787;
   Pennsylvania, December 12, 1787; New Jersey, December 18, 1787;
   Georgia, January 2, 1788; Connecticut, January 9, 1788; Massachusetts,
   February 6, 1788; Maryland, April 28, 1788; South Carolina, May 23,
   1788; New Hampshire, June 21, 1788.
   
   Ratification was completed on June 21, 1788.
   
   The Constitution was subsequently ratified by Virginia, June 25, 1788;
   New York, July 26, 1788; North Carolina, November 21, 1789; Rhode
   Island, May 29, 1790; and Vermont, January 10, 1791.
   
   In May 1785, a committee of Congress made a report recommending an
   alteration in the Articles of Confederation, but no action was taken
   on it, and it was left to the State Legislatures to proceed in the
   matter. In January 1786, the Legislature of Virginia passed a
   resolution providing for the appointment of five commissioners, who,
   or any three of them, should meet such commissioners as might be
   appointed in the other States of the Union, at a time and place to be
   agreed upon, to take into consideration the trade of the United
   States; to consider how far a uniform system in their commercial
   regulations may be necessary to their common interest and their
   permanent harmony; and to report to the several States such an act,
   relative to this great object, as, when ratified by them, will enable
   the United States in Congress effectually to provide for the same. The
   Virginia commissioners, after some correspondence, fixed the first
   Monday in September as the time, and the city of Annapolis as the
   place for the meeting, but only four other States were represented,
   viz: Delaware, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania; the
   commissioners appointed by Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North
   Carolina, and Rhode Island failed to attend. Under the circumstances
   of so partial a representation, the commissioners present agreed upon
   a report, (drawn by Mr. Hamilton, of New York,) expressing their
   unanimous conviction that it might essentially tend to advance the
   interests of the Union if the States by which they were respectively
   delegated would concur, and use their endeavors to procure the
   concurrence of the other States, in the appointment of commissioners
   to meet at Philadelphia on the Second Monday of May following, to take
   into consideration the situation of the United States; to devise such
   further provisions as should appear to them necessary to render the
   Constitution of the Federal Government adequate to the exigencies of
   the Union; and to report such an act for that purpose to the United
   States in Congress assembled as, when agreed to by them and afterwards
   confirmed by the Legislatures of every State, would effectually
   provide for the same.
   
   Congress, on the 21st of February, 1787, adopted a resolution in favor
   of a convention, and the Legislatures of those States which had not
   already done so (with the exception of Rhode Island) promptly
   appointed delegates. On the 25th of May, seven States having convened,
   George Washington, of Virginia, was unanimously elected President, and
   the consideration of the proposed constitution was commenced. On the
   17th of September, 1787, the Constitution as engrossed and agreed upon
   was signed by all the members present, except Mr. Gerry of
   Massachusetts, and Messrs. Mason and Randolph, of Virginia. The
   president of the convention transmitted it to Congress, with a
   resolution stating how the proposed Federal Government should be put
   in operation, and an explanatory letter. Congress, on the 28th of
   September, 1787, directed the Constitution so framed, with the
   resolutions and letter concerning the same, to "be transmitted to the
   several Legislatures in order to be submitted to a convention of
   delegates chosen in each State by the people thereof, in conformity to
   the resolves of the convention."
   
   On the 4th of March, 1789, the day which had been fixed for commencing
   the operations of Government under the new Constitution, it had been
   ratified by the conventions chosen in each State to consider it, as
   follows: Delaware, December 7, 1787; Pennsylvania, December 12, 1787;
   New Jersey, December 18, 1787; Georgia, January 2, 1788; Connecticut,
   January 9, 1788; Massachusetts, February 6, 1788; Maryland, April 28,
   1788; South Carolina, May 23, 1788; New Hampshire, June 21, 1788;
   Virginia, June 25, 1788; and New York, July 26, 1788.
   
   The President informed Congress, on the 28th of January, 1790, that
   North Carolina had ratified the Constitution November 21, 1789; and he
   informed Congress on the 1st of June, 1790, that Rhode Island had
   ratified the Constitution May 29, 1790. Vermont, in convention,
   ratified the Constitution January 10, 1791, and was, by an act of
   Congress approved February 18, 1791, "received and admitted into this
   Union as a new and entire member of the United States."
   
   Note 2: The part of this Clause relating to the mode of apportionment
   of representatives among the several States has been affected by
   Section 2 of amendment XIV, and as to taxes on incomes without
   apportionment by amendment XVI.
   
   Note 3: This Clause has been affected by Clause 1 of amendment XVII.
   
   Note 4: This Clause has been affected by Clause 2 of amendment XVIII.
   
   Note 5: This Clause has been affected by amendment XX.
   
   Note 6: This Clause has been affected by amendment XXVII.
   
   Note 7: This Clause has been affected by amendment XVI.
   
   Note 8: This Clause has been superseded by amendment XII.
   
   Note 9: This Clause has been affected by amendment XXV.
   
   Note 10: This Clause has been affected by amendment XI.
   
   Note 11: This Clause has been affected by amendment XIII.
   
   Note 12: The first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United
   States (and two others, one of which failed of ratification and the
   other which later became the 27th amendment) were proposed to the
   legislatures of the several States by the First Congress on September
   25, 1789. The first ten amendments were ratified by the following
   States, and the notifications of ratification by the Governors thereof
   were successively communicated by the President to Congress: New
   Jersey, November 20, 1789; Maryland, December 19, 1789; North
   Carolina, December 22, 1789; South Carolina, January 19, 1790; New
   Hampshire, January 25, 1790; Delaware, January 28, 1790; New York,
   February 24, 1790; Pennsylvania, March 10, 1790; Rhode Island, June 7,
   1790; Vermont, November 3, 1791; and Virginia, December 15, 1791.
   
   Ratification was completed on December 15, 1791.
   
   The amendments were subsequently ratified by the legislatures of
   Massachusetts, March 2, 1939; Georgia, March 18, 1939; and
   Connecticut, April 19, 1939.
   
   Note 13: Only the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th articles of amendment had
   numbers assigned to them at the time of ratification.
   
   Note 14: This sentence has been superseded by section 3 of amendment
   XX.
   
   Note 15: See amendment XIX and section 1 of amendment XXVI.
   
   Note 16: Repealed by section 1 of amendment XXI.

References

   1. http://www.house.gov/Constitution/Amend.html