Simone Lawson
The United States Constitution, the country's supreme law, was signed by 39 men on September 17, 1787, and ratified on June 21, 1788. The original 13 states, except Rhode Island, appointed 70 individuals to the Constitutional Convention, but only 55 attended the sessions. The delegates ranged in age from 26-year-old Jonathan Dayton to 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin, who was so unwell that he had to be carried to the sessions.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of men who signed the Constitution | 39 |
| Total number of delegates chosen | 70 or 74 |
| Number of delegates who attended | 55 |
| Number of delegates who refused to sign | 3 |
| Age of the youngest signer | 26 (Jonathan Dayton) |
| Age of the oldest signer | 81 (Benjamin Franklin) |
| Number of signers who served as president | 2 (George Washington and James Madison) |
| Date of signing | September 17, 1787 |
| Place of signing | Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House, Philadelphia (now known as Independence Hall) |
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What You'll Learn
Only 39 of 55 delegates signed the US Constitution
The US Constitution is the “supreme law” of the United States, establishing the office of the President and outlining how the government should operate. It was signed and written by a group of delegates in 1787, years after the Revolutionary War ended, and ratified in 1788. Of the 55 delegates who attended the Constitutional Convention sessions, only 39 signed the US Constitution.
The Constitutional Convention was convened from May 25 to September 17, 1787, and the Constitution was signed on the final day. The delegates ranged in age from Jonathan Dayton, aged 26, to Benjamin Franklin, aged 81, who was so infirm that he had to be carried to sessions in a sedan chair. Franklin delivered an address endorsing the Constitution despite its imperfections, hoping to gain the support of critics and create a sense of common accord. The signers subscribed their names as witnesses to what was done at the convention.
Several factors contributed to the absence of signatures from some delegates. Rhode Island refused to send any delegates to the Convention, resulting in a lack of representation from one of the thirteen states. Additionally, some individuals who were appointed to the Convention did not accept or could not attend, including notable figures such as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock.
Furthermore, some delegates left before the signing ceremony, and three of those present refused to sign. George Mason and Edmund Randolph of Virginia refused because they believed the Constitution was flawed and required a Bill of Rights. Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts also declined to sign. Despite the absence of signatures from some delegates, the Constitution was unanimously endorsed by the delegates as individual witnesses of the consent of the states present.
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The youngest signer was 26, the oldest 81
The US Constitution was signed by 39 delegates, representing 12 of the 13 states. Rhode Island did not send any delegates to the convention. The youngest signer of the Constitution was 26-year-old Jonathan Dayton, and the oldest was Benjamin Franklin, aged 81. Franklin was so infirm that he had to be carried to the sessions in a sedan chair.
Jonathan Dayton, the youngest signer, was the youngest delegate at the convention and spoke on several occasions. He later held a seat in the US House of Representatives and served as Speaker during the Fourth and Fifth Congresses. Benjamin Franklin, the oldest signer, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1706. He was the first signer to die, in April 1790, while James Madison was the last, dying in June 1836.
The signing of the United States Constitution occurred on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The document was endorsed by 39 delegates, representing 12 states. The endorsement included a statement of the document's adoption by the states present, a formulaic dating of its adoption, and the signatures of those endorsing it. The convention secretary, William Jackson, added a note verifying four amendments made by hand and signed it to authenticate its validity.
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Signatures were added to authenticate amendments
The signing of the United States Constitution was a significant event in the country's history, with 39 signatures appended to the document. The closing endorsement of the Constitution serves as an authentication function, providing essential documentation of its validity. This endorsement is not without its limitations, as it doesn't assign powers to the federal government or impose limitations on its actions. However, it does record who signed the Constitution, when, and where.
The process of authenticating amendments to the Constitution is a meticulous one. When a state ratifies a proposed amendment, it sends an original or certified copy of the action to the Archivist of the United States, who is responsible for certifying that the amendment has been ratified. The Archivist of the United States, who heads the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), administers the ratification process under the provisions of 1 U.S.C. 106b. The Archivist has delegated many of the associated duties to the Director of the Federal Register.
The Director of the Federal Register (OFR) plays a crucial role in the authentication process. The OFR examines the ratification documents for legal sufficiency and the presence of authenticating signatures. Once the documents are deemed to be in good order, the Director acknowledges receipt and maintains custody of them. The OFR retains these documents until the amendment is either adopted or fails. Subsequently, the records are transferred to the National Archives for preservation.
The signing ceremony of the Constitution holds historical significance, with the signatures of the delegates serving as witnesses to the unanimous consent of the states present. The convention's secretary, William Jackson, added a note to verify four amendments made by hand to the final document and signed it to authenticate its validity. This act of authentication is a testament to the meticulous process undertaken to ensure the integrity of the Constitution and its amendments.
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Signers included six men who signed the Declaration of Independence
The US Constitution was signed by 39 men, all of whom were white, and property owners. They were delegates from 12 of the 13 original states, with Rhode Island being the only state not to send any delegates.
Six of the men who signed the US Constitution had also signed the Declaration of Independence 11 years earlier: George Clymer, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, George Read, Roger Sherman, and James Wilson. Benjamin Franklin, aged 81, was the oldest person to sign the Constitution and had to be assisted.
The signing of the US Constitution took place in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The original signed, handwritten Constitution is at the National Archives in Washington, DC.
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The original signed copy is held at the National Archives in Washington, DC
The original United States Constitution was signed by 39 men on September 17, 1787. The document was drafted by 55 delegates, with several leaving before the signing ceremony and three of the 42 who remained refusing to sign. The youngest signer was 26-year-old Jonathan Dayton, and the oldest was 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin, who was so infirm that he had to be carried to sessions in a sedan chair.
The original copy of the Constitution is now held at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. The document was not always treated with such care and respect, however. When the US Constitution was first written, the original copies were not given much thought. It was only later that they were found to be of great historical significance. In 1883, a historian named J. Franklin Jameson discovered the original Constitution in a box in a closet in the State, War, and Navy Building.
The document was finally sealed in 1894, placed between two glass plates, and stored in a safe. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge dedicated a public display of the Constitution at the Library of Congress. The document was protected against moisture by special absorbent cellulose paper and carefully sealed between two panes of insulated plate glass. A gelatin film was also applied to protect the document from light.
The Constitution has since been stored in various locations to ensure its preservation and protection. During World War II, for example, it was moved to the United States Bullion Depository in Fort Knox, Kentucky, for safekeeping. In 1951, a study was conducted by the National Bureau of Standards to examine the way the Constitution was stored, and in 1952, it was placed in a glass encasement filled with inert helium and sealed. In 2003, the Constitution was moved to more modern encasements, addressing issues with the previous cases. The new cases featured a gap between the document and the top layer of glass, and humidity was properly controlled to between 25% and 35%Argon gas replaced helium as the gas used in the new cases.
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Frequently asked questions
39 men signed the US Constitution.
70 men were chosen to sign the US Constitution, but only 55 attended the Constitutional Convention sessions.
Yes, Rhode Island did not send any delegates to the Constitutional Convention.
Benjamin Franklin, aged 81, was the oldest person to sign the Constitution.
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