Omar Bennett
On September 17, 1787, 39 of the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the newly written U.S. Constitution, which amended the 1777 Articles of Confederation. The document would not become binding until it was ratified by nine of the 13 states. The Constitution was officially adopted by the United States when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it on June 21, 1788.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | September 17, 1787 |
| Number of delegates signing the Constitution | 39 out of 55 |
| Number of states required to ratify the Constitution | 9 out of 13 |
| States that ratified the Constitution | Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, and New Hampshire |
| Date the Constitution was officially ratified | June 21, 1788 |
| Date the first draft of the Constitution was accepted | August 6, 1787 |
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution was signed by 39 delegates
On September 17, 1787, 39 delegates signed the US Constitution, concluding the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The convention was led by George Washington, a delegate from Virginia and a Revolutionary War hero, who was elected unanimously as the convention's president.
The Constitutional Convention was convened on May 25, 1787, at Philadelphia's Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall. The convention was attended by delegates from all states except Rhode Island. The delegates debated the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and the need for a new form of government.
The delegates crafted a three-branch system of government, consisting of an executive branch headed by a president, a legislative branch, and an independent judicial branch. The most contentious issues included the regulation of commerce and slavery. A Committee of Detail prepared a draft Constitution for delegates to review in early August, and on September 17, 39 of the 55 delegates signed the final document.
The Constitution was then sent to the states for ratification. According to Article VII, the document would only become binding once it was ratified by nine of the 13 states. The ratification process was challenging, with several states opposing the document due to concerns about state sovereignty and the protection of basic political rights. However, the required nine states eventually ratified the Constitution by June 21, 1788, making it the official framework for the government of the United States.
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It was the final draft of the Constitution
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, marking the end of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The signing of the document was the culmination of months of debate, deliberation, and compromise among the Founding Fathers.
The Constitutional Convention began on May 25, 1787, when delegates representing 12 of the 13 original states (all except Rhode Island) convened at the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall. The convention's initial mandate was to amend the Articles of Confederation, which had been ratified several years earlier and provided for a loose confederation of states. However, it quickly became apparent that a new scheme of government was needed to address the young nation's growing needs.
The first draft of the Constitution was accepted on August 6, 1787, and the final document was produced just five weeks later. The Committee of Style and Arrangement, led by Gouverneur Morris, was tasked with distilling the twenty-three approved articles into a cohesive final draft. Morris is also credited with coining the famous phrase "We the People," which represented the idea that the people, not the states, were the source of the government's legitimacy.
On September 12, 1787, the final draft of the Constitution was presented to the convention for its consideration. Despite close votes on several articles, it was clear that the grueling work of the convention was drawing to a close. On September 15, a final vote was held, and the Constitution was unanimously approved by the state delegations.
The approved Constitution was signed by 39 delegates from 12 states, with one delegate, John Dickinson, signing by proxy due to illness. Three delegates present declined to sign the document: Edmund Randolph, George Mason, and Elbridge Gerry. The signing of the Constitution marked the beginning of the ratification process, which ended when the final state, Rhode Island, ratified it on May 29, 1790.
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The Constitutional Convention met for the last time
On September 17, 1787, the Constitutional Convention met for the last time. The convention had been convened on May 25, 1787, when state delegates reached a quorum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The convention was led by George Washington, who was elected unanimously as its president. Washington, a Revolutionary War hero and delegate from Virginia, would later become the first president of the United States.
The Constitutional Convention was called to revise the Articles of Confederation, which had been ratified in 1781. By 1786, it had become clear that the Articles of Confederation needed to be amended or replaced, as the Union was in danger of breaking up. The Articles provided for a loose confederation of states, which were sovereign in most of their affairs. While Congress—the central authority—had the power to govern foreign affairs, conduct war, and regulate currency, these powers were limited in practice as Congress had no authority to enforce its requests to the states.
During the convention, delegates clashed over issues of state sovereignty and the distribution of power between large and small states. The convention ultimately decided to work towards an entirely new form of government, rather than amending the Articles of Confederation. The most serious controversy erupted over the question of regulating interstate trade, with southern states fearing that a New England-dominated Congress might damage their economic life through export taxes. Another explosive issue was slavery.
On September 17, 1787, 39 of the 55 delegates to the convention signed the newly written Constitution. The document was then sent to the states for ratification, with at least nine of the 13 states required to ratify it for it to become the official framework for the government of the United States. The Constitution was officially adopted by the United States when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it on June 21, 1788.
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The Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation
On September 17, 1787, 39 delegates signed the US Constitution, which replaced the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation, ratified in 1777, served as the United States' first constitution. It established a "league of friendship" among the 13 sovereign and independent states. Each state retained "every Power... which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States."
The Articles of Confederation provided for a loose confederation of US states, which were sovereign in most of their affairs. While Congress—the central authority—had the power to govern foreign affairs, conduct war, and regulate currency, these powers were sharply limited because Congress had no authority to enforce its requests to the states for money or troops.
By 1786, it became apparent that the Union was in danger of breaking up if the Articles of Confederation were not amended or replaced. The Articles' limitations on the central government, such as in assembling delegates, raising funds, and regulating commerce, hindered its ability to govern the growing number of states effectively. Additionally, the central government lacked the power to address internal rebellions, such as Shays' Rebellion in western Massachusetts, due to insufficient funds and military power.
The Constitution addressed these shortcomings by creating three branches of government: the executive, legislative, and judicial. This separation of powers prevented the concentration of power in a single branch. The Constitution also granted the federal government more authority over money and taxes, allowing it to control interstate commerce and levy taxes on individuals.
The Constitution was a significant departure from the Articles of Confederation, strengthening the central government and providing the necessary tools to govern the expanding nation effectively.
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The Constitution was sent to the states for ratification
The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 39 delegates at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The document was originally intended as a revision of the Articles of Confederation, but it introduced a completely new form of government. The Articles of Confederation had been ratified several months before the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781, and it provided for a loose confederation of US states, which were sovereign in most of their affairs. However, the Union was at risk of breaking up if the Articles of Confederation were not amended or replaced.
The Constitution was then submitted to the Congress of the Confederation in New York City within three days of its signing. Congress had the power to reject it, but they voted unanimously to forward the proposal to the 13 states for their ratification. The state legislatures were tasked with organizing "Federal Conventions" to ratify the document. This process ignored the amendment provision of the Articles of Confederation, which required unanimous approval of all the states. Instead, Article VII of the proposed Constitution called for ratification by just nine of the 13 states—a two-thirds majority.
The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut in quick succession. However, other states, especially Massachusetts, opposed the document as it failed to reserve undelegated powers to the states and lacked constitutional protection of basic political rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. A compromise was reached in February 1788, under which Massachusetts and other states agreed to ratify the document with the assurance that amendments would be immediately proposed. The Constitution was then ratified in Massachusetts, Maryland, and South Carolina.
On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the document, and it was subsequently agreed that the government under the US Constitution would be the official framework of the country. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island, which had resisted due to its opposition to federal control of currency and criticism of the compromise on slavery, finally approved the document.
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Frequently asked questions
39 delegates signed the US Constitution on September 17, 1787.
Article VII dictated that the document would need to be ratified by nine of the 13 states to become binding.
Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut were the first five states to ratify the Constitution in quick succession.
The Constitution became binding on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the document.
All 13 states eventually ratified the US Constitution by May 29, 1790.
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