The Resolve of September 28, 1787

The Resolve of September 28, 1787. 

The rarest of the Constitutional documents, a unique resolution that prepared the way for the ultimate ratification of America’s democratic form of government, has been discovered. Only four others are known to exist.

“That it is very rare is obvious:” said Dr. Kaminski, director of the Center for the Study of the American Constitution . “Its particular importance lies in the impact it had when it was released to the thirteen original states. It (the resolve) told the states that Congress ‘Resolved Unanimously’ to transmit the new Constitution to the state conventions for their acceptance. This meant that the ratification process itself became ‘official’ and therefore acceptable.”

David Kimball, curator of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, agrees with Dr. Kaminski’s assessment of the resolution’s historic impact.

“The vote on the constitution at the state level could have gone either way,” said Kimball. “Feelings for and against the new Constitution were that closely divided. This official resolution, coming from Congress with the appearance of total agreement, was the difference. It is an enormously important document in American history.”

In September, 1787, Americans were offered an unprecedented opportunity to change the entire course of history, both for their own country and for the rest of the world.

In the words of James Madison, the new Constitution, as it came out of the convention in Independence Hall, “was nothing more than the draft of a plan, nothing but a dead letter, until life and validity were breathed into it by the voice of the people speaking through the several State Conventions.”

From September 28, 1787, until September 28, 1788, the Continental Congress in New York held this “dead letter” and continued the heated debate between Federalist and anti-Federalist factions.

With complete agreement out of the question, the Federalists, led by Washington and Madison, sought compromise. With both sides weighing each word, the resolution was hammered out.

Commenting on the resolution’s final form in a letter to Madison, Washington wrote, “This apparent unanimity will have its effect. Not everyone has opportunities to peak behind the curtain and as the multitude often judge from externals, the appearance of unanimity in that body (Congress) on this occasion will be of great importance.”

Sent to the state legislatures along with a copy of the Constitution and a letter from Washington, the resolution launched a political struggle that would not be officially ended until July 26, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify.

The ‘Resolve of Congress’ made possible the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. In the chronology of the Constitution, this ‘Resolve’ of September 28, 1787 serves as the birth of the Constitution; the subsequent ratification process became the infant’s challenge for survival. The Constitution has been maturing ever since.”