The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to
extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted
against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or
by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State.
Proposal and Ratification
The eleventh amendment to the Constitution of the United States
was proposed to the legislatures of the several States by the
Third Congress, on the 4th of March 1794; and was declared in a
message from the President to Congress, dated the 8th of January,
1798, to have been ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths
of the States. The dates of ratification were: New York, March
27, 1794; Rhode Island, March 31, 1794; Connecticut, May 8, 1794;
New Hampshire, June 16, 1794; Massachusetts, June 26, 1794;
Vermont, between October 9, 1794 and November 9, 1794; Virginia,
November 18, 1794; Georgia, November 29, 1794; Kentucky,
December 7, 1794; Maryland, December 26, 1794; Delaware,
January 23, 1795; North Carolina, February 7, 1795.
Ratification was completed on February 7, 1795.
The amendment was subsequently ratified by South Carolina on
December 4, 1797. New Jersey and Pennsylvania did not take action
on the amendment.