On this day, North Carolina ratified the U.S. Constitution. North Carolina was the only state to have two ratification conventions. In 1788, the Hillsborough convention decided neither to reject nor approve the Constitution. Why? The document lacked a Bill of Rights. North Carolina wanted such a declaration of rights, for convention delegates remembered the grievances during the American Revolution. Once assured that a Bill of Rights would be added, delegates reconvened in Fayetteville in 1789. There, the Constitution was approved, and North Carolina became the twelfth state.
by Dr. Troy Kickler
Former Managing Director, North Carolina History Curriculum Project