Eleanor Finch
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 delegates, with an additional signature by George Reed on behalf of John Dickinson of Delaware. Electricity, on the other hand, was introduced much later in the US. While Benjamin Franklin is credited with 'discovering' electricity in 1752, it wasn't until 1882 that electricity was introduced to homes, replacing natural gas for lighting. The first electric transmission line in the US was constructed in 1889, and by 1925, half of American houses had electrical power. By 1945, 85 percent of American homes were powered by electricity, and by 1960, virtually all homes had electricity. Electricity was first installed in the White House in 1891.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date the Constitution was signed | September 17, 1787 |
| Number of delegates who signed the Constitution | 38 |
| Date the Articles of Confederation were adopted | November 15, 1777 |
| Date the Articles of Confederation were ratified | March 1, 1781 |
| Date electricity was first installed in the White House | 1891 |
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What You'll Learn
The Constitution was signed in 1787
The United States Constitution, signed on September 17, 1787, is the foundation of the American Government. It lays out the system of government and the rights of the American people. The Constitution was signed by 38 delegates, with George Reed signing on behalf of John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The Constitution has three parts: the Preamble, the Articles, and the Amendments.
The Constitution was written a little over a decade after the end of the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), during which the Continental Congress issued paper currency, called "Continentals," to finance the war. These notes were not backed by gold or silver but by the "anticipation" of tax revenues. As a result, they were easily counterfeited and quickly lost their value.
The Constitution of 1787 replaced the Articles of Confederation, which was adopted on November 15, 1777, and ratified on March 1, 1781. The Articles created a weak central government, giving most of the power to the state governments. However, divisions among the states and local rebellions threatened to tear the young country apart.
The Constitutional Convention of 1787, also known as the Grand Convention, was assembled in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. The delegates to the convention, representing different interests and views, created a powerful central government with a system of checks and balances. They established a bicameral legislative branch, with the Senate providing equal representation for each state and the House of Representatives providing representation based on population.
It is important to note that electricity was not yet widely available during the time of the Constitution's signing in 1787. In fact, electricity would not be installed in the White House until over a century later, in 1891, during the administration of President Benjamin Harrison.
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Electricity at the White House was installed in 1891
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. Electricity at the White House was installed over a century later, in 1891, during President Benjamin Harrison's administration. The Edison Company installed a generator for the White House and the State, War, and Navy Building (today's Eisenhower Executive Office Building), with wires strung across the lawn and into the White House.
The relatively new method of electric illumination was initially intended to supplement gaslight. Wires were buried in the plaster, and round switches were installed in each room for turning the current on and off. However, President Harrison and First Lady Caroline Harrison refused to operate the switches due to a fear of electric shock, leaving the operation of the electric lights to the domestic staff. Irwin "Ike" Hoover, an electrician who later became the White House Chief Usher, recalled that:
> [T]he Harrison family were actually afraid to turn the lights on and off for fear of getting a shock… I would turn on the lights in the halls and parlors in the evening and they would burn until I returned the next morning to extinguish them.
The electrification of the White House was a significant milestone, demonstrating the advancement of technology and the adoption of modern conveniences. However, it is important to note that the Constitution was written and signed before the widespread use of electricity, reflecting the different technological contexts of these two events in American history.
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The Articles of Confederation were weak
The Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, was adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and ratified by the states on March 1, 1781. The Articles created a loose confederation of sovereign states with a weak central government, leaving most of the power with the state governments.
The Articles of Confederation were considered weak because they gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it had no enforcement powers, couldn’t regulate commerce, or print money. The lack of enforcement powers meant that the central government had no way to ensure that its rules and requests were carried out by the states. This led to disputes among the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, which threatened to tear the young country apart.
Additionally, the Articles did not provide for a strong executive or judicial branch, which further weakened the central government. The absence of a strong central authority led to divisions among the states and even local rebellions, which could have destroyed the fruits of the Revolution.
The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation became increasingly apparent in the years after the Revolutionary War. Nationalists, led by James Madison, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Wilson, recognized these weaknesses and began working towards strengthening the federal government. They turned a series of regional commercial conferences into a national constitutional convention in Philadelphia in 1787, which resulted in the creation of the United States Constitution.
The Constitution of 1789 established a stronger central government, with a bicameral legislative branch, an executive branch, and a judicial branch, creating a system of checks and balances. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention, wary of centralized power but also loyal to their states, crafted compromises to balance the interests of large and small states. The Constitution also included a Bill of Rights, which was added as the first ten Amendments.
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The Constitution created a system of checks and balances
The US Constitution, signed on September 17, 1787, created a system of checks and balances to ensure that no branch of the government became too powerful. The framers of the Constitution, influenced by philosophers and political scientists such as Polybius, Montesquieu, William Blackstone, and John Locke, divided the powers and responsibilities of the federal government into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial.
The legislative branch is responsible for making laws, the executive branch for enforcing them, and the judicial branch for interpreting them. Each branch has specific powers and limitations, and they work together to create a balance of power. For example, while the legislative branch makes laws, the President in the executive branch can veto those laws. Similarly, the judicial branch can declare laws made by the legislative branch unconstitutional.
The system of checks and balances also includes the power of Congress to override a presidential veto with a two-thirds vote, and the power to impeach executive and judicial officers. Congress is the only body that can appropriate funds, and each house serves as a check on the other to prevent abuses of power.
The US Constitution's system of checks and balances has been influential, with other countries adopting similar systems. For instance, the Federal Republic of Germany combines features of parliamentary and federal systems, and its Federal Constitutional Court has the right to declare a law unconstitutional.
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The delegates wanted to revise the Articles of Confederation
The Constitution of the United States was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 delegates, with George Reed signing on behalf of John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The delegates had assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation, which served as the United States' first constitution. However, by mid-June, they had decided to completely redesign the government, creating a powerful central government.
The Articles of Confederation, adopted on November 15, 1777, established a "league of friendship" among the 13 sovereign and independent states. Each state retained significant power, including the ability to make rules and request funds from the states. However, the central government lacked enforcement powers, the ability to regulate commerce, and the authority to print money. This led to concerns that the young nation was on the brink of collapse due to disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade.
Alexander Hamilton played a crucial role in convincing Congress to organise a Grand Convention of state delegates to revise the Articles of Confederation. The delegates, representing diverse interests and views, worked behind closed doors in the State House, speaking freely and crafting compromises. One of the most contentious issues was congressional representation, with delegates debating whether it should be based on population or divided equally among the states. They ultimately compromised by granting each state one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate.
The delegates also grappled with the thorny issue of slavery, temporarily resolving it by agreeing to allow the slave trade to continue until 1808 and counting enslaved Africans as three-fifths of a person. After a summer of intense debate, they appointed a Committee of Detail to finalise their decisions in writing, leading to the creation of the United States Constitution, which remains in effect today.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution was written in 1787, and was signed by 38 delegates on September 17, 1787.
The Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, was adopted on November 15, 1777, and ratified on March 1, 1781.
No, they did not. Electricity was first installed in the White House in 1891, over a century after the US Constitution was written.
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