The Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation once nine states ratified it

Evidence

Union was actually the first constitution of the United States of America. The U.S. Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation as the governing document for the United States after being ratified by nine states. The Constitution has a central place in United States law and political culture. The handwritten, or “engrossed”, original document penned by Jacob Shallus is on display at the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C. — Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence, 54

Categorization

• QUESTION: Worth chasing: why nine states sufficed as the ratification threshold, and what that reveals about the framers’ view of legitimacy.