State Constitutional Conventions Since 1776
Total number: 236
Source: The data here are drawn extensively from Albert Sturm’s “The Development of American State Constitutions,” Publius, 1982. But Sturm’s data are incomplete. In addition to their limited date range of 1776 to 1982, they overlooked at least three state constitutional conventions prior to 1982. In interpreting this data, it is important to understand that “state constitutional conventions,” although given the same generic name, may operate in fundamentally different ways.
State Constitutional Conventions Since 1776 (Searchable, Sortable Version)
Total number: 236
State Constitutional Conventions Since 1787 To Ratify Changes to U.S. Constitution
Number of such state constitutional conventions from 1787-1788: 13
Number of such state constitutional conventions from 1933-1934: 39
Total: 52
1) Ratification of the U.S. Constitution from 1787-1788
| wdt_ID | State | Start Date | End Date | Expected Vote | Final Vote | Population (1000s) | Pop. Rank | # Proposed Amendments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | 12/04/1787 | 12/07/1787 | 30–0 | 30–0 | 60 | 13 | 0 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | 11/20/1787 | 12/12/1787 | 46–23 | 46–23 | 434 | 3 | 0 |
| 38 | New Jersey | 12/11/1787 | 12/18/1787 | 38–0 | 38–0 | 184 | 9 | 0 |
| 39 | Georgia | 12/25/1787 | 12/31/1787 | 26–0 | 26–0 | 83 | 11 | 0 |
| 40 | Connecticut | 01/03/1788 | 01/09/1788 | 128–40 | 128–40 | 238 | 8 | 0 |
| 41 | Massachusetts | 01/09/1788 | 02/06/1788 | 177–178 | 187–168 | 475 | 2 | 9 |
| 42 | Maryland | 04/21/1788 | 04/26/1788 | 64–12 | 63–11 | 320 | 7 | 13 |
| 43 | South Carolina | 05/12/1788 | 05/23/1788 | 149–73 | 149–73 | 250 | 5 | 5 |
| 44 | New Hamphsire | 06/18/1788 | 06/21/1788 | 52–52 | 57–47 | 142 | 10 | 12 |
| 45 | Virginia | 06/02/1788 | 06/25/1788 | 84–84 | 89–79 | 821 | 1 | 20 |
| 46 | New York | 06/17/1788 | 07/26/1788 | 9–46 | 30–27 | 340 | 6 | 31 |
| 47 | North Carolina | 11/16/1789 | 11/21/1789 | 194–77 | 194–77 | 429 | 4 | 26 |
| 48 | Rhode Island | 05/26/1790 | 05/29/1790 | 34–32 | 34–32 | 69 | 12 | 21 |
2) Ratification of the U.S. Constitution’s 21st Amendment from 1933-1934
| State and Date | Yes/No |
|---|---|
| Michigan (April 10, 1933) | Yes |
| Wisconsin (April 25, 1933) | Yes |
| Rhode Island (May 8, 1933) | Yes |
| Wyoming (May 25, 1933) | Yes |
| New Jersey (June 1, 1933) | Yes |
| Delaware (June 24, 1933) | Yes |
| Indiana (June 26, 1933) | Yes |
| Massachusetts (June 14, 1933) | Yes |
| New York (June 27, 1933) | Yes |
| Illinois (July 10, 1933) | Yes |
| Iowa (July 10, 1933) | Yes |
| Connecticut (July 11, 1933) | Yes |
| New Hampshire (July 11, 1933) | Yes |
| California (July 24, 1933) | Yes |
| West Virginia (July 25, 1933) | Yes |
| Arkansas (August 1, 1933) | Yes |
| Oregon (August 7, 1933) | Yes |
| Alabama (August 8, 1933) | Yes |
| Tennessee (August 11, 1933) | Yes |
| Missouri (August 29, 1933) | Yes |
| Arizona (September 5, 1933) | Yes |
| Nevada (September 5, 1933) | Yes |
| Vermont (September 23, 1933) | Yes |
| Colorado (September 26, 1933) | Yes |
| Washington (October 3, 1933) | Yes |
| Minnesota (October 10, 1933) | Yes |
| Idaho (October 17, 1933) | Yes |
| Maryland (October 18, 1933) | Yes |
| Virginia (October 25, 1933) | Yes |
| New Mexico (November 2, 1933) | Yes |
| Florida (November 14, 1933) | Yes |
| Texas (November 24, 1933) | Yes |
| Kentucky (November 27, 1933) | Yes |
| South Carolina (November 7, 1933) | No |
| Ohio (December 5, 1933) | Yes |
| Pennsylvania (December 5, 1933) | Yes |
| Utah (December 5, 1933) | Yes |
| Maine (December 6, 1933) | Yes |
| Montana (August 6, 1934) | Yes |
38 states ratified the 21st amendment; 9 states did not have a popular election on the matter. It became part of the U.S. Constitution after 36 states ratified it.