Today in 1788, Georgia ratified the United States Constitution, becoming the fourth state to do so.
There was virtually no opposition to the Constitution’s ratification in in the state and there are very few detailed records of the state’s proceedings.
The official convention journal lists only attendance records and the topics covered. The records that do exist illustrate that while the Constitution was read fully in the proceedings, the representatives assumed the document would be adopted quickly.
One reason Georgia found the new system advantageous was because it was geographically vulnerable to Indian raids and would benefit from support of the militia. Like Delaware and New Jersey, it would also profit from having equal representation in the Senate. Joseph Habersham wrote that the Constitution would “be adopted in the course of a few days.”
Habersham’s prediction proved true when Georgia ratified unanimously a few days later. By margin of 26 to 0, Georgia gave its sovereign assent to the new framework.
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