Final answer:
Pennsylvania was the state that ratified the Constitution before anti-Constitution forces could begin their campaign, doing so after smaller states but before larger, more contentious states like Virginia and New York.
Step-by-step explanation:
The state that ratified the Constitution before anti-Constitution forces could begin their campaign was Pennsylvania. After the Constitution was drafted in September 1787, smaller states, including Delaware and New Jersey, quickly ratified the document. When it came to the larger states, Pennsylvania, being one of the first with significant power, ratified the Constitution.
Conversely, states like Virginia and New York only narrowly approved the document after spirited debates and the promise of a Bill of Rights. Pennsylvania's early ratification, ahead of intense opposition from anti-Constitution forces, therefore, was significant in the early ratification process.