You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast.

The Civil War and Reconstruction was a pivotal era in American history.

When a war was fought to save the Union and to free the slaves.

And when the work to rebuild the nation after that war was over turned into a struggle

to guarantee liberty and justice for all Americans.

I'm Tracy.

And I'm Rich.

And we want to invite you to join us as we take an in-depth look at this pivotal era in American history.

Look for the Civil War and Reconstruction wherever you find your podcasts.

Music the Civil War and Reconstruction, wherever you find your podcasts. Hello, and thank you for joining the American Revolution. This week, episode 355, Virginia ratification, 1788.

Last week, we covered the states that ratified the Constitution in the spring of 1788,

and we ended with the ninth state, New Hampshire, which managed to overcome intensive opposition

to squeak through a yes vote at its second convention. New Hampshire's

ratification brought the number of states to nine, meaning that the Constitution automatically came into

effect. Of course, there would still be time to hold elections and create the new government,

so the Confederation Congress remained in operation.

Four states, of course, had not yet approved it. Virginia, by far the largest state,

was still considering the matter, and many questioned whether a union would work without them.

Now, this week, we're going to look at the ratification fight in Virginia.

Thanks to the efforts of James Madison, Virginia had been the state that proposed the Constitutional Convention in the first place. Despite that effort, ratification in the

Commonwealth was not a given. Two of the three delegates who had refused to sign the final document

were from Virginia. One of the men who had refused to sign was Edmund Randolph,

...