I respectfully disagree. It's way more than just the numerical states needed for ratification. Look up these glaring facts the founding fathers were facing:
1. Charleston, SC was the wealthiest city at the time. They had more clout than NYC does today.
2. During the Little Ice Age crop yields were hard to come by, especially up north. Basically, the north could barely feed itself, and needed the south as a more dependable backup plan for agriculture. And that's not even getting into cotton being a cash cow to fund a new nation.
3. Even with all 13 states breaking away from England they still faced the French Empire in the Louisiana Territory and the Spanish Empire in both Florida and to some extent west of the Louisiana Territory. (Modern day Mexico was controlled by Spain and their "northern frontier" was not just today's southwestern states of California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas, but even as far north as Colorado.) It was hard enough facing all of that as a new country as it was. How much worse if the most powerful country in the world, the English Empire, still had a foothold in Georgia and South Carolina?
4. The French Indian War had taught the founding fathers that the European empire nations will gladly stir up the indigenous tribes against the locals as a means of controlling the locals. It's worse than today's young white women rioting in the streets just because the Dim leaders tell them it would prove they're not racist. None were worse at this than the English -- again we don't want them in Georgia and South Carolina.
“It’s way more than just the numerical states needed for ratification. Look up these glaring facts the founding fathers were facing . . .”
Still, the founders of the Constitution had decided they would form a nation with just nine states if necessary. That decision was made by the time Article VII was drafted.
The founders didn’t think in terms of needing 50 states to be successful; or even 10.
They said nine.
“they still faced the French Empire in the Louisiana Territory and the Spanish Empire in both Florida and to some extent west of the Louisiana Territory”
When you mentioned South Carolina and Georgia, thought the most logical tack for them to take was opening negotiations with France and threaten to ally with them and close the Mississippi to the colonies forever.