Isabella Carter
The United States Constitution was formed after the American Revolution (1775-1783), a war between the Americans and the British, which arose from the colonists' dissatisfaction with paying taxes without having a say in the laws that governed them. At the time of the Constitution, there were 13 British colonies, previously under the rule of the British monarchy, that became the new United States of America.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of colonies at the time of the constitution | 13 |
| Names of colonies | Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania (including Delaware), New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and the Massachusetts Bay Colony |
| Type of colonies | Crown, proprietary, and charter |
| Governing body | Continental Congress |
| First constitution | The Articles of Confederation, adopted in 1777 |
| Current constitution | The United States Constitution, adopted in 1789 |
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What You'll Learn
The 13 colonies became the United States of America
The 13 colonies were a group of British settlements that became the original states of the United States of America. They were established during the 17th and early 18th centuries in what is now a part of the eastern United States. The colonies grew both geographically and numerically from the time of their founding to the American Revolution (1775–81). Their settlements extended from what is now Maine in the north to the Altamaha River in Georgia when the Revolution began. There were about 2.5 million American colonists at that time.
The colonies were founded by people from various countries, including England, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany. The English were the most dominant group, and all 13 colonies were located along the East Coast of North America. The first permanent English settlement in North America was Jamestown, Virginia, established in 1607. Other notable colonies include the Plymouth colony, founded by the Pilgrims in 1620; the Massachusetts Bay Colony, founded by Puritans in 1630; and Pennsylvania, founded by Quaker William Penn in 1681.
The 13 colonies were governed in different ways. Some were crown colonies, where the king appointed the governor, while others were proprietary colonies, where the lord proprietor appointed the governor. Most of the colonies set up forms of self-government and developed their own societies and economies. Relations between Britain and the colonies soured after the French and Indian War (1754–63) when the British tried to tax the colonists without giving them representation in Parliament. This led to the American Revolution, during which the colonies declared their independence from Great Britain in 1776.
The Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, resolved that "these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, Free and Independent States." This was followed by the Declaration of Independence, which formally severed ties with Great Britain and established the United States of America. The 13 colonies became the first states of the new nation, with their own constitutions and governments. The ideas of republicanism dictated that the United States would have no royalty, aristocracy, or national church, and that common law would be continued.
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The Continental Congress had delegates from 12 colonies
The Continental Congress, which served as the government of the 13 American colonies and later the United States, from 1774 to 1789, included delegates from 12 colonies. The First Continental Congress met in 1774 in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from September 5 to October 26.
The Congress was convened in response to the Intolerable Acts, a series of measures imposed by the British government after the colonies resisted new taxes. Nine delegates to the Stamp Act Congress, an extralegal convention that met to coordinate the colonies' response to the Stamp Act, were in attendance at the First Continental Congress. The Stamp Act Congress was influential in fostering enhanced unity among the colonies.
The Continental Congress played a significant role in the history of the United States, conducting international diplomacy, negotiating diplomatic agreements with foreign nations, and eventually declaring America's independence from Britain in 1776. It also laid the foundation for the first national constitution, the Articles of Confederation, which governed the country until 1789 when it was replaced by the U.S. Constitution.
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The Massachusetts Bay Colony expelled Roger Williams
The number of colonies at the time of the constitution was 13, formerly under the British Empire and later became the United States of America.
Williams established Providence Plantations in 1636 on land provided by Narragansett Sachem Canonicus. He founded the settlement based on an egalitarian constitution, providing for majority rule in civil matters and liberty of conscience in religious matters. This was a significant departure from the theocratic structure of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where church and state were closely intertwined.
The Massachusetts Bay Colony had a history of expelling those who held dissenting views. In 1638, Anne Hutchinson was expelled from the colony after being tried in a Massachusetts court. She, like Williams, advocated for religious tolerance and a break with the Church of England. The colony's leaders viewed these ideas as a threat to their authority and worked to suppress them.
The expulsion of Roger Williams and others like him highlights the religious and political tensions of the time. The Massachusetts Bay Colony sought to maintain a strict religious orthodoxy and viewed calls for religious freedom as dangerous and subversive. Williams's expulsion ultimately led to the establishment of a new settlement based on his principles of religious liberty and egalitarianism.
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The British government refused to pay for troop reinforcements
At the time of the US Constitution, there were 13 British colonies, which were established during the 17th and early 18th centuries in what is now a part of the eastern United States. These colonies grew both geographically along the Atlantic coast and westward. The colonies had a total of about 2.5 million American colonists.
The British government's refusal to pay for troop reinforcements also contributed to the financial burden on the colonists. The Mutiny (or Quartering) Act of 1765 required colonial assemblies to house and supply British soldiers, which the colonists saw as an attempt to tax them without their consent. The British responded by disbanding the New York assembly in 1767, which further angered the colonists.
The disputes over taxation and troop reinforcement led to the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), during which the 13 colonies united to free themselves from British rule. The Second Continental Congress, assembled in Philadelphia, began recruiting soldiers for the Revolutionary War and appointed George Washington as commander of the Patriot militias. The American citizen soldiers' ability to stand up to the British troops, as seen in the Battles of Lexington and Concord, further emboldened the Americans.
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The US Constitution has three parts
The US Constitution, the supreme law of the United States of America, superseded the Articles of Confederation on March 4, 1789. It was formed at a time when there were 13 colonies, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The Constitution was originally composed of seven articles, a preamble and a closing endorsement.
The first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, dividing the federal government into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch, consisting of a bicameral Congress (Article I), is responsible for creating lower courts and an appeals process, enacting laws defining crimes and punishments, and raising armies. The executive branch (Article II) consists of the President and subordinate officers, while the judicial branch (Article III) comprises the Supreme Court and other federal courts, with the power to interpret and apply the law.
Article IV, Article V, and Article VI outline concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments, their relationship to the federal government, and the shared processes between them. The Constitution also includes the Eighth Amendment, which protects individuals from excessive bail or fines and cruel and unusual punishment, and the Ninth Amendment, which acknowledges that individuals have fundamental rights beyond those stated in the Constitution.
The US Constitution, with its three distinct parts, each with its own articles and clauses, provides a framework for the functioning of the federal government and the protection of individual rights.
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Frequently asked questions
There were 13 colonies at the time of the US Constitution.
The 13 colonies were Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.
The primary political cultures of the colonies were New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the South.
The colonial population rose to a quarter of a million during the 17th century and to nearly 2.5 million on the eve of the American Revolution.
The reasons for the population growth were high birth rates, low death rates, and immigration.
