6月24日, news had arrived in New York that the ninth State required to adopt the new Constitution had been achieved by New Hampshire’s ratification, 几天后弗吉尼亚也加入了. 在这一点上, the ultimate question facing the New York ratifying convention was whether to join the “more perfect union” or to go it alone. 但是一个多月了, 聚集在波基普西的代表们继续努力, proposing amendment after amendment 和 debating whether New York could ratify “有条件的ly.”
周一, 7月14日, John Jay moved that New York ratify the Constitution 和 attach to its ratification “explanations” 和 recommended amendments, 但批准不会有条件. 第二天出现了一连串的提议, beginning with Melancton Smith’s motion to amend Jay’s motion 和 make New York’s ratification 有条件的 upon Congress not exercising certain powers until a convention should be called to propose amendments.
亚历山大·汉密尔顿提出了另一项建议. 和杰伊的相似, it opposed 有条件的 ratification but added additional details regarding “explanations” 和 amendments. Hamilton even pledged that he 和 other Federalists would advocate for amendments “as far as they can.”
Much of Wednesday was devoted to a motion to adjourn until September 2 in order to give delegates time to consult with their constituents. 动议未获通过, but not before Hamilton launched into a passionate explanation of the consequences of New York refusing to join the union. Insisting that the Confederation Congress would not accept 有条件的 ratification, 他预测纽约会很脆弱, "全国的财富都与我们为敌.“它将从哪里”获得援助——外国势力?...法国或英国?” 的 southern part of the State would “separate from the rest of the State,他预言道。, leaving the northern part to defend itself against the jealousy of other States who coveted access to the port of New York.
Rebutting charges that the Constitution threatened the “spirit of ‘76” 和 the liberties so dearly won, Hamilton appealed to the reverence of “distinguished patriots” who supported the Constitution, including John Hancock; John Adams who “first conceived the bold idea of independence;” John Dickinson; Benjamin Franklin, “this old grey headed patriot looking into the grave;” 和 George Washington, 为辉格党和托利党所赞赏, 谁“站出来批准了这部宪法?.”
的 纽约每日广告人 reported that Hamilton “was powerful in his reasoning 和 so persuasively eloquent that he drew tears from most of the audience.“然而, 为了让自己放心, 两天后，汉密尔顿写信给詹姆斯·麦迪逊, 征求他对有条件批准的意见, especially “of a right to secede in case our amendments have not been decided…within a certain number of years, 也许是5到7个.”
Having resumed his seat in Congress (meeting in New York City), Madison responded the next day. “我的看法是，”他开始说，“这样一个……”有条件的 并不能使纽约成为新联盟的一员, 和 consequently that she could not be received on that plan…的 Constitution requires an adoption 在托托 和 永远.”
与此同时, 7月17日，汉密尔顿完成了批准的请求, 梅兰顿·史密斯提出了一个新的建议. 这一举动震惊了联邦党人，也让反对派感到困惑, Smith announced he could not support his own motion 批准 有条件的ly made several days before. 他真诚地相信国会会接受这个提议, 但是现在“很多人都说他们不能.他承认自己的新计划“不会让议会的任何一方满意”,” he believed it would at least address the major objections posed by both sides 和 encouraged the convention “not to decide hastily but consider well.简而言之，他提出的批准条件不那么严格.
约翰·兰辛, 迄今为止史密斯的盟友, immediately declared he would reintroduce Smith’s original motion if Smith were to withdraw it. 的 convention adjourned without further action, leaving the Antis seriously divided. John Jay reported to Washington that Smith’s “own party were not pleased 和 the House adjourned.第二天早上，大会召开，“接着是长时间的沉默”.“反对者”似乎有些尴尬——他们害怕内部分裂, 然而，他们中的许多人非常反对新计划.”
德威特·克林顿，州长. 乔治·克林顿的侄子, fretted that “Smith’s proposal was brought on too rapidly; the minds of the Members ought to have been prepared gradually for it."现在一些反对者"对史密斯的厌恶程度不亚于汉密尔顿.”
的 next week the convention was consumed with considering successive motions, 修改动作, 投票否决休会或延期的动议, negotiating on the meaning of “有条件的 ratification” 和 如何 such a term could be mitigated, 决定应该向新政府提出哪些修正案, 在批准的“形式”上讨价还价. 到7月23日，这个问题已经超越了批准本身，变成了 如何 批准.
Smith then moved that “有条件的 ratification” be substituted with ratification based on “confidence that the declaration of rights 和 explanations aforesaid are consistent with the Constitution, 和 therefore cannot be abridged…和 with further confidence that amendments which shall have been proposed…will receive an early 和 mature consideration.该动议以40比19获得通过. 值得注意的是,政府. 克林顿、约翰·兰辛和罗伯特·耶茨占多数.
After two more days of last-minute attempts by the Antis to thwart ratification, 纽约最终投票批准了美国宪法. 投票结果是30票赞成，27票反对. 除了一份冗长的正式批准文件, the convention requested that its delegates to the new Congress “use all reasonable means “ to secure approval of thirty-two specified amendments. 另外, it unanimously approved a circular letter to other states encouraging a general convention to consider amendments. But in the end, New York had ratified the Constitution, assuring its place in “a more perfect union.”