From George Washington to the United States Senate and House of Representatives, 1 June 1790
To the United States Senate and House of Representatives
United States [New York] June 1st 1790.
Gentlemen of the Senate and House of Representatives.
Having received official information of the accession of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations to the Constitution of the United States, I take the earliest opportunity of communicating the same to you, with my Congratulations on this happy event, which unites under the general Government all the States which were originally confederated; and have directed my Secretary to lay before you a copy of the letter from the President of the Convention of the State of Rhode Island to the President of the United States.1
Go: Washington
LS, DNA: RG 46, First Congress, 1789–91, Records of Legislative Proceedings, President’s Messages; LB, DLC:GW; copy, DLC: Alexander H. Stephens Papers.
1. For the background to this letter, see Daniel Owen to GW, 29 May 1790. Daniel Owen, president of the Rhode Island Ratifying Convention, did not send GW the formal instrument of ratification until 9 June 1790 (see Rhode Island Ratifying Convention to GW, 9 June 1790).