Simone Lawson
The US Constitution, written in 1787, is the world's longest-surviving written constitution. It has been in effect for over two centuries, serving as a model for freedom-loving people worldwide. The US has been governed by a single framework of government during this time, with the basic framework remaining unchanged despite the country's radical transformation. The signing of the United States Constitution occurred on September 17, 1787, when 39 delegates endorsed the constitution. It was ratified by nine of the original 13 states a year later, becoming the official framework of the government of the United States of America on June 21, 1788. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document. The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, was adopted in 1791, and Congress has passed 23 additional amendments since, with 17 of them being ratified by the states.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of signing | 17 September 1787 |
| Number of delegates who signed | 39 |
| Date it became official framework of the US government | 21 June 1788 |
| Number of states that ratified the Constitution | 9 of 13 |
| Date of first federal elections | 15 December 1788 |
| Date the new government was set to begin | 4 March 1789 |
| Date of ratification by all states | 29 May 1790 |
| Date the Bill of Rights was ratified | End of 1791 |
| Date the capital was set | 16 July 1790 |
| Date the land was designated for construction of the capital | 24 January 1791 |
| Number of amendments | 27 |
| Number of amendments passed by Congress | 23 |
| Number of amendments ratified by states | 17 |
| Date of passage of 15th Amendment | 1870 |
| Date of passage of 19th Amendment | 1920 |
| Date of passage of 16th Amendment | 1913 |
| Date of McCulloch v. Maryland | 1823 |
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution is the world's longest-surviving written constitution
The US Constitution, written in 1787 and ratified in 1788, is the world's longest-surviving written constitution. It has served as a model for freedom-loving people all over the world. The US has been governed by this single framework of government for over two centuries. In contrast, France has had 10 separate and distinct constitutional orders in the same period, including five republics, two empires, a monarchy, and two dictatorships. El Salvador has had 36 constitutions since 1824.
The US Constitution was ratified by nine of the original 13 states. The ratification journey was long and arduous. The country was governed by the Articles of Confederation until the new Constitution was ratified. This document was tailored to a newly formed nation made of states acting more like independent, sovereign countries. However, it quickly became clear that future stability required a stronger, more centralized government. The Founding Fathers intended the Constitution to be flexible to fit the changing needs and circumstances of the country.
The delegates to the Philadelphia Convention, anticipating that many state politicians would be Anti-Federalists, provided for ratification of the Constitution by popularly elected ratifying conventions in each state. The convention method also allowed judges, ministers, and others ineligible to serve in state legislatures to be elected to a convention. The Constitution would go into effect as soon as nine states (two-thirds rounded up) ratified it. Each of the remaining four states could then join the newly formed union by ratifying.
The US Constitution has changed and expanded since 1787. The balance of power between the state and federal governments has shifted over time, with the federal government taking an increasingly dominant role. Supreme Court decisions like McCulloch v. Maryland (1823) affirmed the federal government's right to take actions necessary and proper to meet the urgent needs of the nation. The 15th Amendment ensured voting rights to Black men, and the 19th Amendment gave voting rights to all American women for the first time.
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The US Constitution was ratified by nine of the original 13 states
The US Constitution has been in effect for over 230 years, since March 4, 1789. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, which was deemed insufficient to govern the newly formed nation made of states acting like independent, sovereign countries. 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 US Constitution was signed by 38 delegates (with one additional signature for an absent delegate) on September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia. The document was the result of a convention called by New York's Alexander Hamilton, who, along with James Madison and George Washington, feared that the young country was on the brink of collapse due to the inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation. The convention was tasked with revising the existing government, but the delegates ended up creating a completely new form of government.
The Constitution was first ratified by Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. However, ratification by nine of the original 13 states was required for it to come into effect, and this was achieved with Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, and, finally, New Hampshire approving the document. The first federal elections under the new government were held from December 15, 1788, to January 10, 1789, and the new government officially began on March 4, 1789.
The Constitution has been amended 27 times since its ratification, with the most recent amendment being the Twenty-seventh Amendment in 1992. The process of amending the Constitution is deliberately designed to be difficult to achieve, requiring a balance between flexibility and rigidity.
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The US Constitution was signed by 39 delegates
The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 39 delegates at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This signing occurred after a four-month-long convention, during which the delegates debated and crafted the document that would become the framework for the United States government.
The 39 delegates represented 12 states, with Rhode Island being the only state that declined to send a representative to the convention. The delegates came from diverse backgrounds, with virtually all of them having participated in the American Revolution, seven of whom had signed the Declaration of Independence, and 30 having served in the military. Their ages ranged from 26-year-old Jonathan Dayton to 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin, who had to be carried to sessions due to his infirmity.
The delegates held varying interests and views, and the process involved intense debates and numerous compromises. Several delegates were disappointed by the concessions in the final document, believing that they had compromised its quality. Despite this, 39 of the 55 attendees signed the Constitution, with some signing despite their reservations, anticipating further debates within their states. Three delegates, Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, George Mason of Virginia, and Randolph, did not sign the document.
The signing of the US Constitution was an extraordinary achievement, as the delegates created a powerful central government while protecting the prerogatives of the states. This balance addressed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, which had limited enforcement powers and could not regulate commerce or print money, leading to disputes that threatened to tear the young nation apart. The Constitution has endured as one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions globally.
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The US Constitution has 27 amendments
The US Constitution is one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions globally, having been in effect since 1789. It has been amended 27 times, with the first ten amendments being ratified simultaneously in 1791 and known as the Bill of Rights.
The process of amending the Constitution is a two-step procedure, with amendments needing to be proposed and ratified before becoming operative. Amendments can be proposed by a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, or by a national convention called by Congress upon the request of two-thirds of state legislatures. However, this latter method has never been used.
The most recent amendment, the Twenty-seventh Amendment, was ratified in 1992 and prevents members of Congress from granting themselves pay raises during their current session. Other notable amendments include the Eighth Amendment (1791), which protects individuals from excessive bail or fines and cruel and unusual punishment; the Sixteenth Amendment (1913), which removed constraints on Congress's power to tax income; and the Eighteenth Amendment (1919), which prohibited the production, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages nationwide.
The US Constitution is considered the most difficult in the world to amend, which has resulted in the persistence of undemocratic institutions that other democracies have reformed.
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The US Constitution was written in 1787
The US Constitution, the framework for the United States government, was written and signed in 1787. On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution, with George Reed signing on behalf of the absent John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787, with representatives from all 13 states. The US Constitution is one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world.
The US Constitution was written just a few years after the Revolutionary War, at a time when America’s first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, was threatening to tear the young country apart. 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. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, feared that their country was on the brink of collapse, and Hamilton led the call for a constitutional convention to reevaluate the nation’s governing document.
The US Constitution has been changed and expanded since it was written in 1787. For example, the 15th Amendment ensured voting rights for Black men, and the 19th Amendment gave voting rights to all American women for the first time. The US Constitution has also been amended to include protections for rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press.
The US Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document. The capital was not set until July 16, 1790, and land was designated for construction on January 24, 1791. The US Constitution has been amended multiple times since it was written, with the most recent amendment, the Twenty-seventh Amendment, being added in 1992.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution has been in effect for over 200 years. It became the official framework of the government of the United States of America on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it.
It took almost 2 years for all 13 states to ratify the Constitution. Rhode Island was the last state to approve the document on May 29, 1790.
Yes, the US Constitution has changed and expanded since it was written in 1787. The Founding Fathers intended the document to be flexible to fit the changing needs and circumstances of the country. The Bill of Rights, which was adopted in 1791, is an example of an early change to the Constitution.
