Are not those 37 still governed by the same document that the original 13 (actually it was only nine until the others eventually came on board) acceded to? Do they not have the same rights as those free and independent states which created this union?
I sure as heck think the answer to both is YES!
If that is true then why don't states join the Union by ratifying the Constitution and sending representatives to Washington? Why all the Article IV nonsense? The fact of the matter is that all 50 states agree to abide by the Constituiton, regardless of whether they were admitted or whether they ratified.
Do they not have the same rights as those free and independent states which created this union?
They enjoy the same rights as the original 13. And the original 13 have the same restrictions and prohibitions as the 37 that followed.