Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution Volume 10: Ratification by the States: Virginia, no. 3

Edited by Kaminski, Saladino, Leffler, and Schoenleber

The debate over the Constitution reached a climax in Virginia during June 1788 as a closely divided Convention vigorously debated the merits of the new frame of government. Virginians, like many other Americans, realized the importance of the Old Dominion in the ratification process. Without Virginia's approval, the Union would be incomplete and divided. This third Virginia volume contains the last two-thirds of the Convention debate, which turned on whether to adopt the Constitution unconditionally with recommended amendments, or to adopt the Constitution conditionally with a list of required amendments. The sources for Virginia's ratification reveal as never before the intricacies of the debate and the preeminence of Virginia to the ratification process.