Omar Bennett
The US Constitution has been in effect for over 200 years, since 1787. It was signed by 38 delegates on September 17, 1787, and ratified by 9 of the 13 states, establishing a new government. The Constitution has been amended several times, including the 15th Amendment, which granted voting rights to Black men, and the 19th Amendment, which extended voting rights to women. The US Constitution is considered one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions globally, shaping the framework for the US government and undergoing expansions and changes over the years.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of signing | September 17, 1787 |
| Date of first commemorative stamp | 1937 |
| Date of second commemorative stamp | 1938 |
| Date of first amendments | 1791 |
| Number of years since signing | 235 years |
| Number of amendments | 27 |
| Number of states required for ratification | 9 of 13 |
| First constitution | Articles of Confederation |
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787
The US Constitution, signed on September 17, 1787, has been in effect for over 235 years. It is one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world.
The Constitution was authored by the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention as the framework for the United States government. The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787, and George Washington was unanimously elected as its president. The delegates were tasked with revising the existing government, but they ended up creating a new form of government altogether.
The Constitution was signed by 38 delegates, with George Read signing on behalf of the absent John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The founders set the terms for ratifying the Constitution, bypassing the state legislatures and calling for special ratifying conventions in each state. Ratification by 9 of the 13 states was required to enact the new government, and this was successfully achieved.
The US Constitution has undergone changes and expansions since its signing. For example, the 15th Amendment ensured voting rights for Black men, and the 19th Amendment granted voting rights to all American women for the first time in 1920. The 16th Amendment, passed in 1913, gave the federal government the power to collect income tax, and the 18th Amendment, enacted in 1919, prohibited the production, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages nationwide. These amendments demonstrate how the Constitution has evolved to meet the changing needs and values of American society.
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The Founding Fathers were concerned about the Articles of Confederation
The US Constitution has been in effect since 1789, when it replaced the Articles of Confederation, which had served as the United States' first constitution. The Founding Fathers were concerned about the limitations of the Articles of Confederation, which had established a weak confederal government. The Articles were ratified by all 13 states and came into force on March 1, 1781. However, the Founding Fathers recognized several issues with the Articles, which contributed to their eventual replacement by the US Constitution.
One of the primary concerns of the Founding Fathers was the insufficient power of the central government under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles granted the bulk of power to the states, allowing them to govern themselves with little interference from the central government. This led to issues such as the inability to tax, regulate commerce, or raise an army effectively. The central government lacked the authority to compel states to comply with requests for troops or funding, which left the military vulnerable. Additionally, the central government had limited power to settle disputes between states and struggled to support the war effort.
The Founding Fathers also recognized the challenges posed by the unanimous amendment process required by the Articles of Confederation. Any amendments to the Articles required the ratification of all state legislatures, which proved difficult to achieve. This hindered the ability to make necessary changes and adaptations to the governing document.
Another concern was the lack of a bill of rights in the Articles of Confederation. Some Founding Fathers, such as George Mason, believed that a bill of rights was necessary to ensure individual liberties and prevent the potential abuse of power by a central authority. This concern persisted even after the adoption of the US Constitution, with figures like Madison advocating for a bill of rights to be added to the Constitution.
The Founding Fathers also grappled with the issue of state representation and the balance of power between the states and the central government. Disputes over representation, voting, and territorial claims delayed the ratification of the Articles of Confederation. The Founding Fathers sought to establish a government that preserved the independence and sovereignty of the original 13 states while also providing sufficient power to the central government to effectively govern and address national concerns.
In summary, the Founding Fathers' concerns about the Articles of Confederation centred around the limitations of the central government, the challenging amendment process, the absence of a bill of rights, and the delicate balance of power between the states and the central government. These concerns ultimately led to the creation and adoption of the US Constitution, which has been in effect since 1789 and has undergone various amendments over the years.
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The US Constitution has been expanded and changed since 1787
The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, and it has been the world's longest-surviving written constitution. The US Constitution has been expanded and changed several times since 1787. The Founding Fathers intended the document to be flexible to accommodate the changing needs and circumstances of the country. Edmund Randolph, one of the five men tasked with drafting the Constitution, stated that the goal was to "insert essential principles only, lest the operations of government should be clogged by rendering those provisions permanent and unalterable, which ought to be accommodated to times and events."
One of the significant changes to the US Constitution since 1787 was the addition of the Bill of Rights in 1791. The first ten amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights, which outlines the fundamental rights of individuals. The Eighth Amendment, for example, protects individuals from excessive bail or fines and cruel and unusual punishment. The Ninth Amendment declares that individuals have other fundamental rights beyond those stated in the Constitution.
Another important change to the Constitution was the expansion of federal power and the establishment of federalism. Over time, the balance of power shifted from individual state governments to the federal government, which took on an increasingly dominant role. Supreme Court decisions, such as McCulloch v. Maryland in 1823, affirmed the federal government's right to take actions necessary and proper to meet the nation's urgent needs. The Civil War and Reconstruction further marked the expansion of federal power.
The US Constitution has also been amended to address specific issues. For instance, the Sixteenth Amendment, adopted in 1913, removed constraints on Congress's power to lay and collect income taxes. The Eighteenth Amendment, ratified in 1919, prohibited the production, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages nationwide. The Twenty-seventh Amendment, added in 1992, prevents members of Congress from granting themselves pay raises during their current session, addressing concerns about congressional pay raises.
In addition to formal amendments, the US Constitution has been interpreted and applied through judicial decisions. The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice John Marshall, established its power by asserting its right to review acts of Congress and determine their constitutionality, as seen in the Marbury v. Madison case in 1803. The Supreme Court has played a significant role in interpreting laws and ensuring that the executive and legislative branches adhere to constitutional principles.
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The US Constitution is difficult to amend
The US Constitution has been in effect since 1787, when it was first drafted. The most recent amendment to the Constitution was in 1992, meaning it has been 241 years since the Constitution was drafted and 31 years since it was last amended.
The US Constitution is notoriously difficult to amend. Sanford Levinson wrote that it is the most difficult constitution in the world to amend. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, the process to amend the Constitution is very difficult and time-consuming. A proposed amendment must be passed by two-thirds of both houses of Congress and then ratified by three-fourths of the states. This is a high threshold to meet, and only 27 amendments have been ratified out of 33 passed by Congress and sent to the states. The last ratified amendment was in 1992, and it concerned the compensation for the services of Senators and Representatives.
Another reason the US Constitution is difficult to amend is the close political divide in Congress. This makes it challenging to get the necessary support for an amendment. Additionally, the Framers of the Constitution intended for it to be an "enduring" document that could meet the challenges and crises of the future. They wanted the Constitution to be a stable framework for the government, and they knew that frequent amendments could undermine this stability.
Furthermore, the US Constitution has a high bar for what ideas deserve an amendment. The idea must have a major impact on all Americans or secure the rights of citizens. Political fixes do not necessarily belong in the Constitution, and not every proposal to improve America warrants an amendment. For example, there have been recent efforts to amend the Constitution that some believe go too far, such as proposals for congressional term limits and a balanced budget amendment.
Finally, the large number of states and people in the US today makes it harder to amend the Constitution than the Framers may have anticipated. When the Constitution was first drafted, there were only 13 states, and the population was much smaller. Now, with 50 states and over 300 million people, reaching a consensus on amendments is much more challenging.
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The US Constitution has 27 amendments
The US Constitution has been in effect since March 4, 1789. Since then, it has undergone 27 amendments, with the first 10 being ratified simultaneously on December 15, 1791, and known as the Bill of Rights.
The process of amending the US Constitution is a two-step procedure, which begins with a proposal. Amendments can be proposed by Congress, with a two-thirds majority vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, or by a national convention called by Congress on the application of two-thirds of state legislatures. Once proposed, an amendment is sent to the states for ratification. The Archivist of the United States administers the ratification process, and upon successful ratification, issues a certificate confirming the amendment has become operative.
The most recent amendment, the Twenty-seventh Amendment, was passed in 1992. This amendment prevents members of Congress from granting themselves pay raises during the current session, instead deferring any raises until the next session.
The Eighth Amendment (1791) protects people from excessive bail or fines and from cruel and unusual punishment. The Ninth Amendment (1791) declares that individuals have fundamental rights in addition to those stated in the Constitution. The Sixteenth Amendment (1913) removed constraints on Congress's power to collect income tax. The Eighteenth Amendment (1919) prohibited the production, transportation, and sale of alcohol nationwide.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution has been in effect for over 235 years. It was signed on September 17, 1787.
The first US Constitution was 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, or print money.
The main purpose of the US Constitution was to create a powerful central government and resolve disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade.
The US Constitution has been amended several times since its inception. Notable amendments include the 15th Amendment, which granted voting rights to Black men, and the 19th Amendment, which granted voting rights to women.
The US Constitution established a federal system with a separation of powers, a bill of rights, and a system of checks and balances to ensure that no one branch of government becomes too powerful.
