Who Crafted The Us Constitution?

The U.S. Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention, representing 12 states. The signing occurred after a four-month-long convention, during which the delegates met to revise the Articles of Confederation, but ultimately decided to create a new framework of government. The final document was endorsed by the delegates as individual witnesses of the unanimous consent of the states present, with the signatures accompanied by a declaration that the delegates' work had been successfully completed.

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The Constitutional Convention of 1787

The United States Constitution, written in 1787, was the result of the Constitutional Convention, also known as the Philadelphia Convention, which took place from May to September of that year. The convention was convened to address the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, which established a weak central government with limited powers.

James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, among others, feared that the young country was on the brink of collapse due to disputes among the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade. Alexander Hamilton played a key role in convincing Congress to organise a Grand Convention of state delegates to revise the Articles of Confederation.

The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia, with delegates from twelve of the thirteen states in attendance. The convention was conducted under an oath of secrecy, and the delegates worked to create a new form of government by reallocating powers. The result was a unique system of power-sharing, with a strong central government and a separation of powers into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial.

The drafted Constitution was submitted to the Congress of the Confederation in September 1787, and then forwarded to the states for ratification. The ratification process was contentious, with Federalists and Anti-Federalists debating the merits of the Constitution. The Federalists supported a strong central government, while the Anti-Federalists advocated for state rights and a Bill of Rights. Ultimately, ratification by 9 of the 13 states was achieved, and the Constitution took effect in 1789, superseding the Articles of Confederation.

12 of 13 states sent delegates

The United States Constitution, which has been the supreme law of the United States since 1789, was written at the 1787 Philadelphia Convention. From May 1787 to September 1787, delegates from 12 of the original 13 states convened in Philadelphia to write a new constitution. The convention was conducted under an oath of secrecy, and the first public printing of the Constitution was published in a newspaper, The Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser, on September 19, 1787—two days after the Constitution was signed.

The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787, with General George Washington unanimously elected as its president. The convention had its origins in a proposal by Madison and John Tyler in the Virginia assembly that the Continental Congress be given the power to regulate commerce throughout the Confederation. Alexander Hamilton helped convince Congress to organise a Grand Convention of state delegates to revise 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, and couldn't print money. The states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart.

The delegates from 12 of the 13 states wrote a new constitution that created a new, unprecedented form of government by reallocating powers. Every previous national authority had been either a centralised government or a "confederation of sovereign constituent states." The American power-sharing was unique at the time, separating the powers of government into three branches: the legislative, which makes the laws; the executive, which executes the laws; and the judicial, which interprets the laws. The Constitution delineates the framework of the federal government, with its first three articles embodying the doctrine of the separation of powers.

The drafted Constitution was submitted to the Congress of the Confederation in September 1787, and that same month, it approved the forwarding of the Constitution to the states, each of which would hold a ratification convention. Ratification by 9 of the 13 states enacted the new government, but at the time, only 6 of 13 states reported a pro-Constitution majority. The Federalists, who believed a strong central government was necessary, needed to convert at least three states. The Anti-Federalists fought against the Constitution because it created a powerful central government and lacked a bill of rights.

The Articles of Confederation

The Articles also outlined a Congress with representation not based on population – each state held one vote in Congress. Ratification by all 13 states was necessary to set the Confederation in motion. Virginia was the first state to ratify, on December 16, 1777, and by February 1779, 12 states had ratified the Articles. Maryland was the last state to ratify the Articles on February 2, 1781, and Congress was informed of its assent on March 1, officially proclaiming the Articles of Confederation to be the law of the land.

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The Federalists

The United States Constitution, which serves as the supreme law of the United States, was written at the 1787 Philadelphia Convention. From May 1787 through September 1787, delegates from twelve of the thirteen states convened in Philadelphia, where they wrote a new constitution. The convention was conducted under an oath of secrecy, and so the first time the American people saw the Constitution was when it was published in a newspaper, The Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser, on September 19, 1787—two days after it was signed.

Alexander Hamilton helped convince Congress to organize a Grand Convention of state delegates to work on revising the Articles. General George Washington was unanimously elected president of the Philadelphia convention. The Federalists faced opposition from the Anti-Federalists, who fought against the creation of a powerful central government. The Anti-Federalists also criticized the lack of a bill of rights, discrimination against southern states, direct taxation, and the loss of state sovereignty.

Ratification

The United States Constitution, the supreme law of the United States, was written at the 1787 Philadelphia Convention and was ratified through a series of state conventions held in 1787 and 1788. The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787, with delegates from twelve of the thirteen states in attendance. The convention was conducted under an oath of secrecy, and the first public printing of the Constitution was published in a newspaper, The Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser, on September 19, 1787—two days after the Constitution was signed.

The Constitutional Convention created a new, unprecedented form of government by reallocating powers. Every previous national authority had been either a centralized government or a "confederation of sovereign constituent states." The American power-sharing was unique at the time. The Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. 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. The disputes among the states threatened to tear the young country apart.

Alexander Hamilton helped convince Congress to organize a Grand Convention of state delegates to work on revising the Articles of Confederation. General George Washington was unanimously elected president of the Philadelphia convention. The convention had its specific origins in a proposal offered by Madison and John Tyler in the Virginia assembly that the Continental Congress be given the power to regulate commerce throughout the Confederation. Madison wanted a strong central government to provide order and stability.

The ratification campaign was a nail-biter. Ratification by 9 of the 13 states enacted the new government, but at the time, only 6 of 13 states reported a pro-Constitution majority. The Federalists, who believed that a strong central government was necessary, needed to convert at least three states. The Anti-Federalists fought hard against the Constitution because it created a powerful central government and lacked a bill of rights. The tide turned in Massachusetts, where the “vote now, amend later” compromise helped secure victory in that state and eventually in the final holdouts.

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