Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States [Connecticut ratification act printing]

High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.

A high-resolution version of this object is available for registered users. LOG IN

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC07142 Author/Creator: U.S. Constitution Place Written: [Hartford] Type: Document Date: 1788/01/09 Pagination: 8 p. 29.1 x 17.8 cm Order a Copy

Ratification of the U.S. Constitution, printing the Constitution, with the act of the Connecticut Convention, ratifying it 9 January 1788 at end. Connecticut was the fifth state to ratify the new Constitution. This is presumed to have been printed at Hartford where the convention voted by a 3 to 1 margin to ratify. A variant in the Preamble reads "in / order to" while this copy reads "in or- / der to." Evans 21523; Bristol B (variant); Sabin 15493.

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources