Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's ratifying convention approved the new U.S. Constitution by a vote of 46 to 23, making it the second state to join the union under the new charter, just five days after Delaware. The vote followed heated exchanges with Anti-Federalists who feared a strong central government, foreshadowing debates that would shape the Bill of Rights.
Pennsylvania's ratification convention was no quiet affair. Anti-Federalists, led by figures like Robert Whitehill, walked out of the state assembly in an attempt to deny quorum and block the calling of the convention altogether, but Federalists physically dragged two boycotting members back to the State House to force a vote.
Once the convention convened, James Wilson, one of the Constitution's framers, argued forcefully for ratification, delivering some of the most influential pro-Constitution speeches outside the Federalist Papers themselves. Anti-Federalists countered with the 'Dissent of the Minority,' a widely circulated pamphlet warning of federal tyranny and demanding a bill of rights.
The 46-23 vote gave crucial early momentum to the ratification campaign, coming right after tiny Delaware's unanimous approval. Pennsylvania's size, wealth, and central location made its ratification a significant psychological victory for Federalists, even as the losing side's objections would echo for the next two years until the Bill of Rights was added in 1791.