The first state of the United States was Delaware, which became a state when it was the first to ratify the U.S. Constitution on December 7, 1787.

Quick Scoop: What Was the First State?

Short answer

  • Delaware is officially known as “The First State” because it was the first of the original 13 colonies to ratify the U.S. Constitution on December 7, 1787.
  • This act of ratification is what marks its transition from colony to state in the new Union.

A tiny bit of story

Picture the late 1780s: the American Revolution is over, the Articles of Confederation are creaking, and a brand-new Constitution is on the table. Thirteen former colonies are debating whether to sign on to a stronger federal government. In this tense and hopeful moment, Delaware steps up first, ratifying the Constitution and essentially saying, “We’re in.”

That early commitment is why Delaware proudly wears the nickname “The First State,” a title recognized and repeated by U.S. historical and statistical sources today.

Key facts in bullet points

  • First state: Delaware.
  • Basis for “first”: First to ratify the U.S. Constitution and join the Union under it.
  • Date: December 7, 1787.
  • Nickname: “The First State.”
  • Capital: Dover.

A quick historical nuance

If someone asks “what was the first colony?” the answer could be different (for example, Virginia is often cited as the first permanent English colony), but when people ask “what was the first state,” they’re almost always referring to the first to achieve statehood in the U.S. system—Delaware.

So in everyday history talk and in official U.S. references, Delaware holds the crown as the first state.

TL;DR: Delaware was the first state, earning the title by being the first to ratify the U.S. Constitution on December 7, 1787.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.