Isabella Carter
The United States Constitution, the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in the world, was drafted and signed on September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Constitutional Convention, led by George Washington, met for the first time on May 25, 1787, with the aim of revising the Articles of Confederation. However, the delegates ultimately decided to create a new form of government, resulting in the US Constitution, which took approximately four months to draft. The ratification process for the Constitution began on the day it was signed and ended when the final state, Rhode Island, ratified it on May 29, 1790.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of the first meeting of the Constitutional Convention | May 25, 1787 |
| Location of the first meeting | Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Objective of the meeting | To revise the Articles of Confederation |
| Decision taken | To completely redesign the government |
| Date the Constitution was signed | September 17, 1787 |
| Number of delegates who signed the Constitution | 38 |
| Total number of signatures | 39 |
| Date of the first quadrennial presidential election under the new Constitution | December 15, 1788 – January 10, 1789 |
| Date of the first proposal for the convention | September 1786 |
| Number of articles in the first draft of the Constitution | 23 |
| Number of amendments to the Constitution | 27 |
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What You'll Learn
- The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787
- A Committee of Detail was appointed to draft the constitution
- The delegates signed the constitution on September 17, 1787
- The ratification process began in 1787 and ended in 1790
- The constitution is one of the longest-lived in the world
The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787
The delegates recognised the need for a stronger central government, but there was little consensus on the specifics. One of the most contentious issues was congressional representation—whether it should be based on population or divided equally among the states. The delegates ultimately compromised by granting each state one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate.
Slavery was another divisive issue. The convention temporarily resolved it by allowing the slave trade to continue until 1808 and counting enslaved Africans as three-fifths of a person. These compromises reflected the delegates' commitment to finding common ground despite their diverse interests and views.
During the convention, the delegates appointed a Committee of Detail, led by Nathaniel Gorham of Massachusetts, to draft the constitution. This committee produced the first written draft of the constitution, which would eventually become the world's longest-lived and most emulated constitutions.
The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia lasted from May to September 1787. On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution, marking the culmination of their efforts to create a stronger and more unified government for the United States.
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A Committee of Detail was appointed to draft the constitution
The US Constitution, one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world, was signed by 38 delegates on September 17, 1787. The delegates, tasked with revising the existing government, instead came up with a completely new one. The process began in May 1787 when the Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia. The delegates, representing wildly different interests and views, crafted compromises to form a powerful central government.
The Committee of Detail, appointed to draft the Constitution, was composed of Nathaniel Gorham of Massachusetts, John Rutledge, Edmund Randolph, James Wilson, and Oliver Ellsworth. The committee did not record its minutes, but it is known that they used the original Virginia Plan, the decisions of the convention on modifications to that plan, and other sources to produce the first full draft. The committee's work has been described as "the most important single undertaking of the summer," requiring "precision where agreement was clear, equivocation where it had been elusive."
The committee's draft was a remarkable cut-and-paste job, as it copied provisions from the Articles of Confederation, the convention resolutions, and even Charles Pinckney's plan. However, they also added provisions that the convention never discussed and changed critical agreements that had already been approved. The committee's draft included details such as powers given to Congress that hadn't been debated or included in any other plan before the convention. Most of these were uncontroversial and went unchallenged, so much of what was included in the first draft made it into the final version without debate.
The committee's work was guided by two rules: that the constitution should only include essential principles, avoiding minor provisions that would change over time, and that it should be stated in simple and precise language. The committee referenced the state constitutions, the Articles of Confederation, plans submitted to the convention, and other available material. They also drew from models of Classical Antiquity and the British governmental tradition of mixed government. The Declaration of Independence acted as an important guide for its ideals of self-government and fundamental human rights, and the writings of European political philosophers such as Montesquieu and John Locke were influential.
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The delegates signed the constitution on September 17, 1787
The US Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 delegates, with George Reed signing on behalf of John Dickinson of Delaware, who was absent. This brought the total number of signatures to 39. The delegates had assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787, tasked with revising the existing government, but they ended up creating a new one. The delegates came from diverse backgrounds, representing a wide range of interests and views, and they crafted compromises to address their differences.
The Constitutional Convention was convened due to concerns about the Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution. The Articles gave the Confederation Congress rule-making and funding powers but lacked enforcement authority and the ability to regulate commerce or print money. State disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young nation apart. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington believed a strong central government was necessary to address these challenges.
The delegates of the Constitutional Convention worked behind closed doors, swearing secrecy to ensure free discussion. By mid-June 1787, they had decided to redesign the government, but there was little agreement on the specifics. Fierce debates arose, such as the question of congressional representation, which was resolved by a compromise based on population with each state guaranteed representation in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Another contentious issue was slavery, which was temporarily resolved by allowing the slave trade to continue until 1808.
The Constitution's main provisions include seven articles that define the framework of the federal government. The first three articles embody the separation of powers, dividing the government into legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The legislative branch consists of a bicameral Congress, the executive branch is led by the President, and the judicial branch includes the Supreme Court and other federal courts. The Constitution also establishes federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments in relation to the federal government, and it outlines the process for constitutional amendment.
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The ratification process began in 1787 and ended in 1790
The US Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. The ratification process began in 1787 and ended in 1790. The drafting of the Constitution of the United States began on May 25, 1787, when the Constitutional Convention met for the first time at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The convention was tasked with revising the existing government, but instead, they came up with a completely new one. The delegates, representing wildly different interests and views, crafted compromises to create a powerful central government.
The convention elected General George Washington as its president. The delegates shuttered the windows of the State House and swore secrecy so they could speak freely. There was little agreement about what form the government should take. One of the fiercest arguments was over congressional representation—whether it should be based on population or divided equally among the states. The framers compromised by giving each state one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate.
The delegates also had to address the contentious issue of slavery. They agreed to count enslaved Africans as three-fifths of a person, and they temporarily resolved the issue by agreeing that the slave trade could continue until 1808. On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution, with George Reed signing on behalf of the absent John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The ratification process for the Constitution began that day.
The ratification campaign was hard-fought, with the Federalists and Anti-Federalists battling over the Constitution's creation of a powerful central government. The Federalists believed that a strong central government was necessary to face the nation's challenges, while the Anti-Federalists opposed it, reminding them of the government they had just overthrown. The ratification process ended on May 29, 1790, when the final state, Rhode Island, ratified the Constitution. The Constitution was officially established after being ratified by nine of the thirteen states.
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The constitution is one of the longest-lived in the world
The United States Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in the world. It was signed on September 17, 1787, and the ratification process began the same day, ending on May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island became the final state to ratify it. The US Constitution has lasted for over 235 years and has been amended 27 times.
The US Constitution was created to replace the Articles of Confederation, which was America's first constitution. The Articles of Confederation gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it lacked enforcement powers, the ability to regulate commerce, and the ability to print money. The young nation faced the threat of collapse due to disputes among the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade.
The Constitutional Convention, led by George Washington, met in Philadelphia in May 1787. The delegates initially intended to revise the Articles of Confederation, but they soon decided to create an entirely new form of government. The convention witnessed fierce debates over congressional representation, slavery, and other critical issues. The delegates crafted compromises, such as the Three-Fifths Compromise, to navigate these contentious matters.
The Constitution's main provisions include seven articles that define the basic framework of the federal government. The first three articles embody the separation of powers, dividing the government into legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The Constitution has been amended over time, but the focus of each article has remained consistent since its adoption. The amendments address various issues, including the prohibition of quartering soldiers during peacetime and protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution was drafted in around four months, from May 25, 1787, to September 17, 1787.
The drafting process began on May 25, 1787, when the Constitutional Convention met for the first time at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia.
The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 delegates. George Reed signed on behalf of John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39.
The Constitutional Convention was a gathering of delegates from various states in Philadelphia in 1787. The Convention was tasked with revising the existing Articles of Confederation but ultimately decided to create a new form of government.
One of the fiercest arguments during the Convention was over congressional representation. Delegates also debated the issue of slavery, agreeing to a compromise that the slave trade could continue until 1808.
