Omar Bennett
The United States Constitution, which came into effect in 1789, is the supreme law of the United States. It was written at the 1787 Philadelphia Convention and ratified through a series of state conventions held in 1787 and 1788. The Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, which created a loose alliance of states with a weak central government. The Constitutional Convention, led by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, created a new form of government by reallocating powers, setting up a system of checks and balances, and dividing power between the states and the federal government. The Constitution has been amended twenty-seven times since 1789, including important amendments such as the ten amendments of the United States Bill of Rights and the three Reconstruction Amendments.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of signing | September 17, 1787 |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania State House |
| Number of signatures | 39 |
| Number of states needed to approve | 9 |
| Number of states that approved | 11 |
| Date the Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation | March 4, 1789 |
| Date the first state approved the Constitution | June 21, 1788 |
| Date of first federal elections | March 4, 1789 |
| Number of articles | 7 |
| Powers separated into | 3 branches |
| Type of government | Federal |
| Type of republic | Sovereign |
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What You'll Learn
The Articles of Confederation
The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation became apparent, and nationalists like James Madison, George Washington, and Alexander Hamilton began working towards strengthening the federal government. They turned a series of regional commercial conferences into a national constitutional convention in Philadelphia in 1787. The convention was called to revise the ailing Articles of Confederation, but it soon abandoned them, drafting a new Constitution with a much stronger national government.
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The Constitutional Convention
Nationalists, led by James Madison, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Wilson, began working towards strengthening the federal government. They turned a series of regional commercial conferences into a national constitutional convention. The convention was called to revise the Articles of Confederation, but it soon abandoned those plans and drafted a new Constitution with a much stronger national government.
On September 17, 1787, after several days of further revisions, the Constitutional Convention voted in favor of the Constitution. 38 delegates signed the Constitution, with George Reed signing for the absent John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The states were then left to accept or reject the new plan of government. On July 2, 1788, Congress received the news that New Hampshire had become the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, making it the law of the land. The Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation on March 4, 1789.
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The Committee of Detail
The United States Constitution, one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world, came into existence through a series of events and efforts by the Founding Fathers. The Constitution was drafted by the Committee of Detail, a committee established by the United States Constitutional Convention on July 24, 1787. The committee was tasked with putting into writing the decisions and agreements made by the convention, including the Virginia Plan's 15 resolutions.
The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was called to revise the Articles of Confederation, which was America's first constitution. The Articles of Confederation gave the Confederation Congress rule-making and funding powers but lacked enforcement powers, the ability to regulate commerce, and the ability to print money. This led to disputes among the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening to tear the young nation apart.
The committee's process can be pieced together from three documents: an outline by Randolph with edits by Rutledge, extensive notes and a second draft by Wilson with edits by Rutledge, and the final report presented to the convention. The outline began with two important rules: that the constitution should only include essential principles, avoiding minor provisions, and that it should be written in simple and precise language. Wilson's draft included what would become the preamble in the final document. The committee added numerous provisions that were not part of the convention's discussions but were unlikely to be controversial.
The final report of the Committee of Detail, presented on August 6, 1787, served as the first draft of the Constitution. This draft set the balance between the national and state governments, as it included Wilson's modifications to the list of enumerated powers and the strengthening of the supremacy clause. The committee continued to meet until early September, making further changes before the draft was referred to other committees for additional revisions.
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Ratification
The road to ratifying the US Constitution was a long and arduous process. The country was initially governed by the Articles of Confederation, which 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. This led to disputes among the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening to tear the young nation apart.
Nationalists, led by James Madison, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Wilson, began working towards strengthening the federal government. They turned a series of regional commercial conferences into a national Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. The Constitutional Convention was called to revise the Articles of Confederation, but it soon abandoned those Articles and drafted a new Constitution with a much stronger national government.
The Constitutional Convention underwent months of fierce debate over the structure and powers of the new federal government. A "committee of detail" was appointed to draft a written Constitution, and after further revisions, the Convention voted in favor of the new Constitution on September 17, 1787. The states were then left to accept or reject this new plan of government.
Under Article VII, the new Constitution would only become binding once it was ratified by nine of the thirteen existing states. The first state to ratify was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. The ratification campaign was hard-fought, with Federalists and Anti-Federalists on opposing sides. The Federalists believed a strong central government was necessary, while the Anti-Federalists opposed the creation of a powerful central government that reminded them of the one they had just overthrown.
The tide turned in Massachusetts, where a compromise was reached to secure victory. This eventually led to the Constitution being ratified by eleven states, with New Hampshire becoming the ninth state to ratify on July 26, 1788, making it the law of the land. Congress then set dates for the first federal elections, which were held from December 15, 1788, to January 10, 1789, and the new government began on March 4, 1789.
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The three branches of government
The Constitution of the United States is one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions worldwide. It came into existence due to the efforts of James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, who feared that their young country was on the brink of collapse. America's first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, had no enforcement powers and could not regulate commerce or print money, leading to disputes between the states.
The Executive Branch is headed by the President, who enforces the laws created by the Legislative Branch. The President is supported by the Cabinet, which includes the Vice President, heads of executive departments, and other high-ranking government officials. The Executive Branch also includes various agencies, boards, commissions, and committees.
The Legislative Branch, also known as Congress, is responsible for making laws. It consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators and representatives are elected by the people of each state, and their votes are tallied to form the Electoral College system.
The Judicial Branch interprets the laws according to the Constitution. It is headed by the Supreme Court, which is the highest court in the country. The federal judicial system also includes lower courts located in each state to hear cases involving federal issues. The Judicial Branch can exercise judicial review over the actions of the other two branches and has the power to hear cases under international maritime law, conflicting land grants of different states, and cases between US citizens in different states or with foreign citizens.
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Frequently asked questions
The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States, adopted on November 15, 1777.
The Articles of Confederation 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.
Nationalists, led by James Madison, George Washington, and Alexander Hamilton, believed that the Articles of Confederation had created a weak and ineffective central government. Fearing that their young country was on the brink of collapse, they began working towards strengthening the federal government.
The Constitutional Convention of 1787 drafted the new Constitution. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 delegates, with one signature for an absent delegate, bringing the total to 39.
The new Constitution required ratification by nine states to go into effect. Eleven states eventually ratified the Constitution, which instituted a new form of government for the United States.
