Early Republic

North Carolina Ratifies US Constitution

November 21, 1789
North Carolina
Date
November 21, 1789
Location
North Carolina
Type
admission to union

What happened

On November 21, 1789, North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the United States Constitution.

When this happened

North Carolina Ratifies US Constitution occurred in November 21, 1789, during the early republic period of American history.

Where this happened

North Carolina Ratifies US Constitution took place in North Carolina. Explore the full history of North Carolina and primary source records from this era.

Historical context — Early Republic

The early republic period saw the United States move from the weak Articles of Confederation to the federal Constitution ratified in 1788, with the Bill of Rights added in 1791. George Washington served two terms as president (1789–1797), establishing precedents for executive authority, and the federal capital moved permanently to Washington D.C. in 1800. The Louisiana Purchase (1803) doubled the nation's territory for roughly $15 million, opening vast trans-Mississippi lands to American expansion. The War of 1812 against Britain ended inconclusively but produced a surge of American national identity and eliminated most British support for Indigenous resistance east of the Mississippi. The Northwest Indian Wars (1785–1795) and the Creek War (1813–1814) broke Indigenous confederacies that had resisted US expansion. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 temporarily balanced slave and free states as the nation expanded westward, but embedded the contradiction of slavery in every subsequent territorial debate.

Source

Content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Source: Wikipedia: Pre-colonial history.

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About North Carolina Ratifies US Constitution

What was North Carolina Ratifies US Constitution?
On November 21, 1789, North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the United States Constitution.
When did North Carolina Ratifies US Constitution happen?
North Carolina Ratifies US Constitution occurred in November 21, 1789.
Where did North Carolina Ratifies US Constitution take place?
North Carolina Ratifies US Constitution took place in North Carolina.

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