PENNSYLVANIA (WHSV) – Nearly 250 years ago on Dec. 12, 1787, Pennsylvania became the second state in the nation to ratify the U.S. Constitution, with the first being Delaware.
At the time, Pennsylvania was the most ethnically and religiously diverse state in the nation. A third of the state’s population spoke German, and the constitution was even printed in German, so that portion of the population could be involved in the ratification debate.
The state ratified the constitution by a vote of 46-23, after enduring major challenges by anti-Federalists.
Copyright 2025 WHSV. All rights reserved.