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States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well 
as of the Congress. 
<P>Clause 2: The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful 
Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to 
the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to 
Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State. 
<H3>Section. 4. </H3>
<P>The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican 
Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on 
Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot 
be convened) against domestic Violence. 
<H2>Article. V. </H2>
<P>The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, 
shall propose Amendments to this 
Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the 
several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in 
either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this 
Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several 
States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as 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. 
<H2>Article. VI. </H2>
<P>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. 
<P>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. 
<P>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. 
<H2>Article. VII. </H2>The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall 
be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so 
ratifying the Same. 
<P>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, 
<P>GO WASHINGTON--Presidt. and deputy from Virginia 
<P>[Signed also by the deputies of twelve States.] 
<P>Delaware 
<P>Geo: Read<BR>Gunning Bedford jun<BR>John Dickinson <BR>Richard Bassett 
<BR>Jaco: Broom <BR>
<P>Maryland 
<P>James MCHenry<BR>Dan of ST ThoS. Jenifer <BR>DanL Carroll.<BR>
<P>Virginia 
<P>John Blair--<BR>James Madison Jr.<BR>
<P>North Carolina 
<P>WM Blount<BR>RichD. Dobbs Spaight.<BR>Hu Williamson <BR>
<P>South Carolina 
<P>J. Rutledge<BR>Charles 1ACotesworth Pinckney<BR>Charles Pinckney<BR>Pierce 
Butler.<BR>
<P>Georgia 
<P>William Few<BR>Abr Baldwin<BR>
<P>New Hampshire 
<P>John Langdon<BR>Nicholas Gilman<BR>
<P>Massachusetts 
<P>Nathaniel Gorham<BR>Rufus King <BR>
<P>Connecticut<BR>WM. SamL. Johnson<BR>Roger Sherman<BR>
<P>New York 
<P>Alexander Hamilton 
<P>New Jersey 
<P>Wil: Livingston<BR>David Brearley.<BR>WM. Paterson. <BR>Jona: Dayton <BR>
<P>Pennsylvania 
<P>B Franklin<BR>Thomas Mifflin<BR>RobT Morris<BR>Geo. Clymer<BR>ThoS. 
FitzSimons <BR>Jared Ingersoll <BR>James Wilson. <BR>Gouv Morris<BR>
<P>Attest William Jackson Secretary 
<H2>
<P>NOTES</H2>
<P>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. 
<P>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. 
<P>Ratification was completed on June 21, 1788. 
<P>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. 
<P>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. 
<P>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." 
<P>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. 
<P>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." 
<P>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. 
<P>Note 3: This Clause has been affected by Clause 1 of amendment XVII. 
<P>Note 4: This Clause has been affected by Clause 2 of amendment XVIII. 
<P>Note 5: This Clause has been affected by amendment XX. 
<P>Note 6: This Clause has been affected by amendment XXVII. 
<P>Note 7: This Clause has been affected by amendment XVI. 
<P>Note 8: This Clause has been superseded by amendment XII. 
<P>Note 9: This Clause has been affected by amendment XXV. 
<P>Note 10: This Clause has been affected by amendment XI. 
<P>Note 11: This Clause has been affected by amendment XIII. 
<P>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. 
<P>Ratification was completed on December 15, 1791. 
<P>The amendments were subsequently ratified by the legislatures of 
Massachusetts, March 2, 1939; Georgia, March 18, 1939; and Connecticut, April 
19, 1939. 
<P>Note 13: Only the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th articles of amendment had 
numbers assigned to them at the time of ratification. 
<P>Note 14: This sentence has been superseded by section 3 of amendment XX. 
<P>Note 15: See amendment XIX and section 1 of amendment XXVI. 
<P>Note 16: Repealed by section 1 of amendment XXI. </P>