Meeting in Trenton, New Jersey's convention voted unanimously to ratify the newly drafted Constitution, becoming the third state to join the fledgling federal union. The state's merchants and farmers, long resentful of paying duties to New York and Pennsylvania on imported goods, saw a strong central government as a remedy. New Jersey's swift, unanimous vote helped build momentum toward the nine ratifications needed for the Constitution to take effect.
New Jersey's ratification came with none of the drama that would later convulse states like New York and Virginia. Delegates gathered at Trenton's French Arms Tavern and voted unanimously, 38 to 0, with little recorded debate. The state had a particular grievance driving its enthusiasm: sandwiched between the ports of New York and Philadelphia, New Jersey had long been forced to pay duties on goods entering from either side, earning it the derisive nickname 'a cask tapped at both ends.'
A strong federal government promised to end this economic squeeze by regulating interstate commerce and creating a unified national market. New Jersey's quick, decisive vote—following Delaware by just five days and Pennsylvania by twelve—helped establish an early sense of momentum for ratification, even as larger and more divided states like Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York would take months longer to decide, and some, like Rhode Island, would hold out for years.