Ratification of Constitutional Amendments
Article 5 of the Constitution provides for the amendment of the Constitution by various means (see The Amendments Page for details). However an amendment is proposed, it does not become part of the Constitution unless it is ratified by three-quarters of the states (either the legislatures thereof, or in amendment conventions). The following is a record of each ratified amendment and the states and dates that led to the ratification. The Constitutional Timeline and the Ratification Grid may also be of interest.
The information contained on this page was found on the Amendments to the Constitution Page at Emory University's site and on the Text of the Amendments Page at the GPO's site. As noted on those pages, the dates published here are based on the best information available.
There is some disagreement about the ability of a state to rescind an amendment ratification prior to full ratification. In U.S. history, thus far, no rescinded ratifications have made a difference in the long run, though they certainly have happened, especially to the Reconstruction Amendments, 13 through 15. On this page, only dates of first ratification are listed. States that never accepted an amendment are not listed at all.
In each table, the "*" column will contain a * symbol next to the state that provided the required three-quarters vote for ratification. Note that the number of states required for ratification increased through history - some amendments, then, required more states at the time of ratification than they needed at the time of proposal.
Quick links: Bill of Rights, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th.
The first ten amendments, commonly known as a group as the Bill of Rights, were all ratified at once. The amendments were proposed on September 25, 1789.
# | State | Date | * |
---|---|---|---|
1 | New Jersey | Nov 20, 1789 | |
2 | Maryland | Dec 19, 1789 | |
3 | North Carolina | Dec 22, 1789 | |
4 | South Carolina | Jan 19, 1790 | |
5 | New Hampshire | Jan 25, 1790 | |
6 | Delaware | Jan 28, 1790 | |
7 | New York | Feb 24, 1790 | |
8 | Pennsylvania | Mar 10, 1790 | |
9 | Rhode Island | Jun 7, 1790 | |
10 | Vermont | Nov 3, 1791 | |
11 | Virginia | Dec 15, 1791 | * |
12 | Massachusetts | Mar 2, 1939 | |
13 | Georgia | Mar 18, 1939 | |
14 | Connecticut | Apr 19, 1939 | |
Ratified in 811 days |
The 11th Amendment, which limits Supreme Court jurisdiction, was proposed on March 4, 1794.
# | State | Date | * |
---|---|---|---|
1 | New York | Mar 27, 1794 | |
2 | Rhode Island | Mar 31, 1794 | |
3 | Connecticut | May 8, 1794 | |
4 | New Hampshire | Jun 16, 1794 | |
5 | Massachusetts | Jun 26, 1794 | |
6 | Vermont | Nov 9, 1794 | |
7 | Virginia | Nov 18, 1794 | |
8 | Georgia | Nov 29, 1794 | |
9 | Kentucky | Dec 7, 1794 | |
10 | Maryland | Dec 26, 1794 | |
11 | Delaware | Jan 23, 1795 | |
12 | North Carolina | Feb 7, 1795 | * |
13 | South Carolina | Dec 4, 1797 | |
Ratified in 340 days |
The 12th Amendment, which reworks the presidential selection process, was proposed on December 9, 1803.
# | State | Date | * |
---|---|---|---|
1 | North Carolina | Dec 21, 1803 | |
2 | Maryland | Dec 24, 1803 | |
3 | Kentucky | Dec 27, 1803 | |
4 | Ohio | Dec 30, 1803 | |
5 | Pennsylvania | Jan 5, 1804 | |
6 | Vermont | Jan 30, 1804 | |
7 | Virginia | Feb 3, 1804 | |
8 | New York | Feb 10, 1804 | |
9 | New Jersey | Feb 22, 1804 | |
10 | Rhode Island | Mar 12, 1804 | |
11 | South Carolina | May 15, 1804 | |
12 | Georgia | May 19, 1804 | |
13 | New Hampshire | Jun 15, 1804 | * |
14 | Tennessee | Jul 27, 1804 | |
Ratified in 189 days |
This amendment was specifically rejected by Delaware on Jan 18, 1804; by Massachusetts on Feb 3, 1804; and by Connecticut, on May 10, 1804.
The 13th Amendment, which prohibits slavery, was proposed on January 31, 1865.
# | State | Date | * |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Illinois | Feb 1, 1865 | |
2 | Rhode Island | Feb 2, 1865 | |
3 | Michigan | Feb 3, 1865 | |
4 | Maryland | Feb 3, 1865 | |
5 | New York | Feb 3, 1865 | |
6 | Pennsylvania | Feb 3, 1865 | |
7 | West Virginia | Feb 3, 1865 | |
8 | Missouri | Feb 6, 1865 | |
9 | Maine | Feb 7, 1865 | |
10 | Kansas | Feb 7, 1865 | |
11 | Massachusetts | Feb 7, 1865 | |
12 | Virginia | Feb 9, 1865 | |
13 | Ohio | Feb 10, 1865 | |
14 | Indiana | Feb 13, 1865 | |
15 | Nevada | Feb 16, 1865 | |
16 | Louisiana | Feb 17, 1865 | |
17 | Minnesota | Feb 23, 1865 | |
18 | Wisconsin | Feb 24, 1865 | |
19 | Vermont | Mar 8, 1865 | |
20 | Tennessee | Apr 7, 1865 | |
21 | Arkansas | Apr 14, 1865 | |
22 | Connecticut | May 4, 1865 | |
23 | New Hampshire | Jul 1, 1865 | |
24 | South Carolina | Nov 13, 1865 | |
25 | Alabama | Dec 2, 1865 | |
26 | North Carolina | Dec 4, 1865 | |
27 | Georgia | Dec 6, 1865 | * |
28 | Oregon | Dec 8, 1865 | |
29 | California | Dec 19, 1865 | |
30 | Florida | Dec 28, 1865 | |
31 | Iowa | Jan 15, 1866 | |
32 | New Jersey | Jan 23, 1866 | |
33 | Texas | Feb 18, 1870 | |
34 | Delaware | Feb 12, 1901 | |
35 | Kentucky | Mar 18, 1976 | |
36 | Mississippi | Mar 16, 1995 * | |
Ratified in 309 days |
* Mississippi ratified the amendment in 1995, but the state didn't officially notify the US Archivist until 2012, when the ratification finally became official.
This amendment was specifically rejected by Delaware on Feb 8, 1865; by Kentucky on Feb 24, 1865; by New Jersey on Mar 16, 1865; and by Mississippi on Dec 4, 1865. Florida reaffirmed its ratification on Jun 9, 1868.
The 14th Amendment, which guarantees the rights of citizens and other persons, was proposed on June 13, 1866.
# | State | Date | * |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Connecticut | Jun 25, 1866 | |
2 | New Hampshire | Jul 6, 1866 | |
3 | Tennessee | Jul 19, 1866 | |
4 | New Jersey | Sep 11, 1866 | |
5 | Oregon | Sep 19, 1866 | |
6 | Vermont | Oct 30, 1866 | |
7 | Ohio | Jan 4, 1867 | |
8 | New York | Jan 10, 1867 | |
9 | Kansas | Jan 11, 1867 | |
10 | Illinois | Jan 15, 1867 | |
11 | West Virginia | Jan 16, 1867 | |
12 | Michigan | Jan 16, 1867 | |
13 | Minnesota | Jan 16, 1867 | |
14 | Maine | Jan 19, 1867 | |
15 | Nevada | Jan 22, 1867 | |
16 | Indiana | Jan 23, 1867 | |
17 | Missouri | Jan 25, 1867 | |
18 | Rhode Island | Feb 7, 1867 | |
19 | Wisconsin | Feb 7, 1867 | |
20 | Pennsylvania | Feb 12, 1867 | |
21 | Massachusetts | Mar 20, 1867 | |
22 | Nebraska | Jun 15, 1867 | |
23 | Iowa | Mar 16, 1868 | |
24 | Arkansas | Apr 6, 1868 | |
25 | Florida | Jun 9, 1868 | |
26 | North Carolina | Jul 4, 1868 | |
27 | Louisiana | Jul 9, 1868 | |
28 | South Carolina | Jul 9, 1868 | * |
29 | Alabama | Jul 13, 1868 | |
30 | Georgia | Jul 21, 1868 | |
31 | Virginia | Oct 8, 1869 | |
32 | Mississippi | Jan 17, 1870 | |
33 | Texas | Feb 18, 1870 | |
34 | Delaware | Feb 12, 1901 | |
35 | Maryland | Apr 4, 1959 | |
36 | California | May 6, 1959 | |
37 | Kentucky | Mar 18, 1976 | |
Ratified in 757 days |
This amendment was specifically rejected by Texas on Oct 27, 1866; by Georgia on Nov 6, 1866; by North Carolina on Dec 14, 1866; by South Carolina on Dec 20, 1866; by Kentucky on Jan 8, 1867; by Virginia on Jan 9, 1867; by Louisiana on Feb 6, 1867; by Delaware on Feb 8, 1867; and by Maryland on Mar 23, 1867. New Jersey's ratification was rescinded on Mar 24, 1868; Ohio rescinded its ratification on Jan 15, 1868 and ratified again on Mar 13, 2003.
The 15th Amendment, which ensures the right of black men to vote, was proposed on February 26, 1869.
# | State | Date | * |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Nevada | Mar 1, 1869 | |
2 | West Virginia | Mar 3, 1869 | |
3 | Illinois | Mar 5, 1869 | |
4 | Louisiana | Mar 5, 1869 | |
6 | Michigan | Mar 5, 1869 | |
5 | North Carolina | Mar 5, 1869 | |
7 | Wisconsin | Mar 5, 1869 | |
8 | Maine | Mar 11, 1869 | |
9 | Massachusetts | Mar 12, 1869 | |
10 | Arkansas | Mar 15, 1869 | |
11 | South Carolina | Mar 15, 1869 | |
12 | Pennsylvania | Mar 25, 1869 | |
13 | New York | Apr 14, 1869 | |
14 | Indiana | May 14, 1869 | |
15 | Connecticut | May 19, 1869 | |
16 | Florida | Jun 14, 1869 | |
17 | New Hampshire | Jul 1, 1869 | |
18 | Virginia | Oct 8, 1869 | |
19 | Vermont | Oct 20, 1869 | |
20 | Alabama | Nov 16, 1869 | |
21 | Missouri | Jan 7, 1870 | |
22 | Minnesota | Jan 13, 1870 | |
23 | Mississippi | Jan 17, 1870 | |
24 | Rhode Island | Jan 18, 1870 | |
25 | Kansas | Jan 19, 1870 | |
26 | Ohio | Jan 27, 1870 | |
27 | Georgia | Feb 2, 1870 | |
28 | Iowa | Feb 3, 1870 | * |
29 | Nebraska | Feb 17, 1870 | |
30 | Texas | Feb 18, 1870 | |
31 | New Jersey | Feb 15, 1871 | |
32 | Delaware | Feb 12, 1901 | |
33 | Oregon | Feb 24, 1959 | |
34 | California | Apr 3, 1962 | |
35 | Maryland | May 7, 1973 | |
36 | Kentucky | Mar 18, 1976 | |
37 | Tennessee | April 8, 1997 | |
Ratified in 342 days |
This amendment was specifically rejected by Kentucky on Mar 12, 1869; by Delaware on Mar 18, 1869; by Ohio on Apr 30, 1869; by Tennessee on Nov 16, 1869; by California on Jan 28, 1870; by New Jersey on Feb 7, 1870; and by Maryland on Feb 26, 1870. New York rescinded its ratification on Jan 5, 1870, and rescinded the rescission on Mar 30, 1970.
The 16th Amendment, which specifically authorizes the income tax, was proposed on July 12, 1909.
# | State | Date | * |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Alabama | Aug 10, 1909 | |
2 | Kentucky | Feb 8, 1910 | |
3 | South Carolina | Feb 19, 1910 | |
4 | Illinois | Mar 1, 1910 | |
5 | Mississippi | Mar 7, 1910 | |
6 | Oklahoma | Mar 10, 1910 | |
7 | Maryland | Apr 8, 1910 | |
8 | Georgia | Aug 3, 1910 | |
9 | Texas | Aug 16, 1910 | |
10 | Ohio | Jan 19, 1911 | |
11 | Idaho | Jan 20, 1911 | |
12 | Oregon | Jan 23, 1911 | |
13 | Washington | Jan 26, 1911 | |
14 | Montana | Jan 30, 1911 | |
15 | Indiana | Jan 30, 1911 | |
16 | California | Jan 31, 1911 | |
17 | Nevada | Jan 31, 1911 | |
18 | South Dakota | Feb 3, 1911 | |
19 | Nebraska | Feb 9, 1911 | |
20 | North Carolina | Feb 11, 1911 | |
21 | Colorado | Feb 15, 1911 | |
22 | North Dakota | Feb 17, 1911 | |
23 | Kansas | Feb 18, 1911 | |
24 | Michigan | Feb 23, 1911 | |
25 | Iowa | Feb 24, 1911 | |
26 | Missouri | Mar 16, 1911 | |
27 | Maine | Mar 31, 1911 | |
28 | Tennessee | Apr 7, 1911 | |
29 | Arkansas | Apr 22, 1911 | |
30 | Wisconsin | May 26, 1911 | |
31 | New York | Jul 12, 1911 | |
32 | Arizona | Apr 6, 1912 | |
33 | Minnesota | Jun 11, 1912 | |
34 | Louisiana | Jun 28, 1912 | |
35 | West Virginia | Jan 31, 1913 | |
36 | New Mexico | Feb 3, 1913 | * |
37 | Massachusetts | Mar 4, 1913 | |
38 | New Hampshire | Mar 7, 1913 | |
Ratified in 1302 days |
This amendment was specifically rejected by New Hampshire on Mar 2, 1911. It was also rejected by Arkansas prior to its subsequent ratification, and by Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Utah.
The 17th Amendment, which required Senators be elected by the people, was proposed on May 13, 1912.
# | State | Date | * |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Massachusetts | May 22, 1912 | |
2 | Arizona | Jun 3, 1912 | |
3 | Minnesota | Jun 10, 1912 | |
4 | New York | Jan 15, 1913 | |
5 | Kansas | Jan 17, 1913 | |
6 | Oregon | Jan 23, 1913 | |
7 | North Carolina | Jan 25, 1913 | |
8 | California | Jan 28, 1913 | |
9 | Michigan | Jan 28, 1913 | |
10 | Iowa | Jan 30, 1913 | |
11 | Montana | Jan 30, 1913 | |
12 | Idaho | Jan 31, 1913 | |
13 | West Virginia | Feb 4, 1913 | |
14 | Colorado | Feb 5, 1913 | |
15 | Nevada | Feb 6, 1913 | |
16 | Texas | Feb 7, 1913 | |
17 | Washington | Feb 7, 1913 | |
18 | Wyoming | Feb 8, 1913 | |
19 | Arkansas | Feb 11, 1913 | |
20 | Maine | Feb 11, 1913 | |
21 | Illinois | Feb 13, 1913 | |
22 | North Dakota | Feb 14, 1913 | |
23 | Wisconsin | Feb 18, 1913 | |
24 | Indiana | Feb 19, 1913 | |
25 | New Hampshire | Feb 19, 1913 | |
26 | Vermont | Feb 19, 1913 | |
27 | South Dakota | Feb 19, 1913 | |
28 | Oklahoma | Feb 24, 1913 | |
29 | Ohio | Feb 25, 1913 | |
30 | Missouri | Mar 7, 1913 | |
31 | New Mexico | Mar 13, 1913 | |
32 | Nebraska | Mar 14, 1913 | |
33 | New Jersey | Mar 17, 1913 | |
34 | Tennessee | Apr 1, 1913 | |
35 | Pennsylvania | Apr 2, 1913 | |
36 | Connecticut | Apr 8, 1913 | * |
37 | Louisiana | Jun 11, 1914 | |
37 | Delaware | Jun 25, 2010 | |
Ratified in 330 days |
This amendment was specifically rejected by Utah on Feb 26, 1913.
The 18th Amendment, which prohibited alcohol, was proposed on December 18, 1917.
# | State | Date | * |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Mississippi | Jan 8, 1918 | |
2 | Virginia | Jan 11, 1918 | |
3 | Kentucky | Jan 14, 1918 | |
4 | North Dakota | Jan 25, 1918 | |
5 | South Carolina | Jan 29, 1918 | |
6 | Maryland | Feb 13, 1918 | |
7 | Montana | Feb 19, 1918 | |
8 | Texas | Mar 4, 1918 | |
9 | Delaware | Mar 18, 1918 | |
10 | South Dakota | Mar 20, 1918 | |
11 | Massachusetts | Apr 2, 1918 | |
12 | Arizona | May 24, 1918 | |
13 | Georgia | Jun 26, 1918 | |
14 | Louisiana | Aug 3, 1918 | |
15 | Florida | Dec 3, 1918 | |
16 | Michigan | Jan 2, 1919 | |
17 | Ohio | Jan 7, 1919 | |
18 | Oklahoma | Jan 7, 1919 | |
19 | Idaho | Jan 8, 1919 | |