Omar Bennett
The US Constitution was ratified on May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island approved the document. The new government was set to begin on March 4, 1789. The Constitution asserted that Congress was expected to meet at least once a year, with the default date being the first Monday of December.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of ratification | 29 May 1790 |
| Date of commencement of new government | 4 March 1789 |
| Date of elections | 15 December 1788 to 10 January 1789 |
| Frequency of Congress meetings | At least once a year |
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What You'll Learn
The Constitution was ratified on May 29, 1790
The US Constitution was ratified on May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island approved the document. The new government was set to begin on March 4, 1789, and the first elections were held from December 15, 1788, to January 10, 1789. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until 1790, and the Bill of Rights was not ratified until the end of 1791.
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The new government was set to begin on March 4, 1789
The Constitution did not specify a calendar date for federal elections, so Congress in 1792 set the day to take place within the time frame from November to early December. A single, uniform day was later selected in early November in 1845.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the four-month delay worked as a grace period for the newly-elected leaders to settle their current affairs and prepare for a long-term move to their new jobs.
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Congress was expected to meet at least once a year
The US Constitution was ratified on May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island approved the document. The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791.
At the time of its ratification, Article I of the Constitution asserted that Congress was expected to meet at least once a year. While Congress has the authority to choose whichever day this would be, the default provided by the Constitution was the first Monday of December. The first meeting of Congress was set to take place on March 4, 1789, when the new US government would commence its operations.
The Constitution was still evolving after its ratification. Madison introduced 17 amendments to the Constitution, of which Congress adopted 12 on September 25, 1789, to send forth to the states for ratification. Ten of those amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791.
The US did not begin to look and function as it does today until several years after the Constitution was ratified.
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The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791
The Bill of Rights consists of ten amendments, which were introduced by Madison as part of the Massachusetts Compromise. Congress adopted twelve of these amendments on September 25, 1789, to send forth to the states for ratification. Ten of these were ratified on December 15, 1791, and became part of the Constitution.
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The Constitution was evolving, with 17 amendments introduced by Madison
The US Constitution was ratified on May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island approved the document. The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791, and became part of the Constitution.
The Constitution was still evolving, with 17 amendments introduced by Madison, born from the Massachusetts Compromise. Twelve of these were adopted by Congress on September 25, 1789, to be sent to the states for ratification. Ten of those amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791.
The US Constitution asserted that Congress was expected to meet at least once a year, with the default date provided being the first Monday of December. The first Congress met on March 4, 1789, when the new US government commenced its operations.
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