History File: Pennsylvania Joins the Union

In 1787, leaders from the states met to create a plan for the new United States government. This plan was called the Constitution. Before it could take effect, at least nine of the thirteen states had to ratify it, or formally approve it. Pennsylvania ratified the Constitution on December 12, 1787, becoming the second state to do so. Pennsylvania had been founded in 1681 by William Penn. He hoped it would be a place where people with different religious beliefs could live with greater freedom. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s largest city at the time, was an important meeting place for the nation’s leaders. The Declaration of Independence had been adopted there in 1776, and the Constitution was written there in 1787. Ratification did not mean that every American agreed about the new plan. People debated how much power the national government should have. Still, each state’s decision brought the country closer to putting the Constitution into action.