Jonah Patel
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The document was signed by 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention, representing 12 states (all but Rhode Island, which declined to send delegates). The signing of the Constitution was the culmination of a four-month-long convention that began in May 1787, with the goal of revising the Articles of Confederation. However, it became clear by mid-June that a new form of government was needed, and the delegates ultimately proposed and created a completely new frame of government. The Constitution established the federal government of the United States and delineated the functions of its three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 17th September 1787 |
| Location | Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Number of signatures | 39 |
| Number of delegates present | 41 or 42 |
| Number of delegates who refused to sign | 3 |
| Number of states represented | 12 |
| Number of states not represented | 1 (Rhode Island) |
| Age of youngest signer | 26 (Jonathan Dayton) |
| Age of oldest signer | 81 (Benjamin Franklin) |
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What You'll Learn
The Constitutional Convention
The convention was attended by delegates from 12 states, with Rhode Island being the only state that refused to send delegates. The delegates elected George Washington of Virginia, a proponent of a stronger national government, to serve as President of the convention. James Madison of Virginia, who had studied republics and confederacies and drafted a document critiquing the American political system, played a significant role in shaping the convention's agenda. Alexander Hamilton of New York was also a leading proponent of the convention, calling for a reevaluation of the nation's governing document.
During the convention, several broad outlines were proposed and debated, including Madison's Virginia Plan and William Paterson's New Jersey Plan. The Virginia Plan, which proposed a federal government with three branches (legislative, executive, and judicial), was selected as the basis for the new government. The delegates debated various issues, including the role of the executive, slavery, and the protection of individual rights. The final draft of the Constitution, presented on September 12, 1787, contained seven articles, a preamble, and a closing endorsement.
On September 17, 1787, the Convention concluded with the signing of the new Constitution by 38 or 39 out of 41 delegates present. The Constitution established a federal government with more specific powers, including the authority to conduct foreign relations. It came into effect in 1789 after being ratified by the necessary number of states, with New Hampshire becoming the ninth and final state needed to ratify it on June 21, 1788. The United States Constitution has served as the basis of the United States Government ever since.
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The signing ceremony
The signing of the United States Constitution took place on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Constitutional Convention, which lasted four months, was attended by 55 delegates, with 39 signing the document. The signatories represented 12 states, with Rhode Island declining to send delegates.
The final draft of the Constitution, presented to the convention on September 12, contained seven articles, a preamble, and a closing endorsement. The document was engrossed by Jacob Shallus and taken up at the convention's final session on September 17. Several delegates were disappointed with the result and left before the ceremony, while three of the remaining delegates refused to sign.
The signing of the Constitution was a significant moment in American history, as it established the government of the United States and laid out the framework for the nation's federal government. The signatories included individuals with experience in local, colonial, and state governments, many of whom had also taken part in the American Revolution.
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The delegates and their roles
The Constitution of the United States was signed by 39 delegates, representing 12 states, on September 17, 1787. The signing took place in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 39 delegates included Convention President George Washington, and the youngest signer, 26-year-old Jonathan Dayton, and the oldest, 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin.
The delegates were chosen from a cross-section of 18th-century American leadership, including individuals with experience in local, colonial, and state governments. Virtually all of them had participated in the American Revolution; seven had signed the Declaration of Independence, and 30 had served in the military.
The signing of the Constitution was the culmination of a four-month-long Constitutional Convention that began on May 25, 1787. The Convention was convened to revise the Articles of Confederation, but it became clear that a new framework of government was needed. A Committee of Style and Arrangement, including Alexander Hamilton from New York, William Samuel Johnson from Connecticut, Rufus King from Massachusetts, James Madison from Virginia, and Gouverneur Morris from Pennsylvania, was appointed to draft the final constitution.
The final document, presented to the convention on September 12, contained seven articles, a preamble, and a closing endorsement. Several delegates were disappointed with the result and left before the signing ceremony, while three of the remaining delegates refused to sign. Despite these disagreements, the Constitution was endorsed by the delegates as individual witnesses of the unanimous consent of the states present.
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The ratification process
The U.S. Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 39 of the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention. However, the process of ratification was long and arduous. The document was sent to the states for debate and ratification votes, with nine of the 13 states required to ratify it before it could become the nation's official framework.
The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. Some states opposed the Constitution because it did not provide protection for rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. However, the terms of the Massachusetts Compromise, reached in February 1788, stipulated that amendments would be made to include these protections—what became the Bill of Rights.
The eighth state to ratify the Constitution was Maryland, followed by South Carolina, and finally, New Hampshire, which became the ninth and final state needed to ratify the Constitution on June 21, 1788. This date marked the beginning of the Constitution as the official framework of the government of the United States of America. All 13 states eventually ratified the Constitution by May 29, 1790.
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The influence of political philosophers
The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 39 of the 41 or 42 delegates present. The signing took place in Philadelphia, concluding the four-month-long Constitutional Convention. The final draft of the Constitution was presented to the convention on September 12, and several delegates were disappointed with the result.
The political philosophers most frequently referred to before and during the drafting and signing of the US Constitution include William Blackstone, David Hume, John Locke, and Montesquieu. The Scottish Enlightenment, which drew heavily on the Magna Carta and the later writings of Enlightenment rationalism and English common law, was also a significant influence.
Locke's ideas were particularly influential in shaping the thinking of the founding fathers. In his Two Treatises on Government, Locke refuted the divine right of monarchy and established a theory where personal liberty could coexist with political order. He argued that labour is the origin and justification for property, and that contract or consent is the basis for government and fixes its limits. Locke's philosophy marked a departure from the ideas that had dominated Western political thought since antiquity. By the 18th century, his concept of the political order had become entrenched in the thinking of Americans, who made it one of the foundation stones of the revolution and the government established by the Constitution.
The founding fathers were also influenced by republicanism and the optimism of the European Enlightenment. George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson agreed that laws, rather than men, should be the final sanction and that the government should be responsible to the governed. They also sought to safeguard state liberties and the rights of property.
The concept of natural rights, which had found expression in the Declaration of Independence in 1776, also influenced the political and legal developments that shaped the Constitution. The philosophy of natural rights, along with republicanism and constitutionalism, were part of the common intellectual currency of 18th-century America.
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Frequently asked questions
39 delegates signed the United States Constitution.
The signers' names are, with the exception of Convention President George Washington, grouped by state, with the listing of states arranged geographically, from north to south. Some of the signers include John Dickinson, George Read, and Benjamin Franklin.
Some delegates at the Constitutional Convention decided not to sign the document to signal their concerns about its power without a Bill of Rights. Edmund Randolph from Virginia stated: "In refusing to sign the Constitution, I take a step which might be the most awful of my life, but it is dictated by my conscience, and it is not possible for me to hesitate, much less, to change."
Signing the Constitution was a personal endorsement and state delegation support for the document. It also served as an authentication of its validity.
