The Constitution: Adopted, Then Ratified

The United States Constitution was drafted and signed on September 17, 1787, and the ratification process began that day. The Constitution was ratified on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to approve it. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document. The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791.

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The drafting of the Constitution

The Constitutional Convention ended on September 17, 1787, when the Frame of Government drafted by the convention's delegates to replace the Articles was adopted and signed. The ratification process for the Constitution began that day, and it was a long and arduous journey. The Constitution would not become binding until it was ratified by nine of the 13 states. On June 21, 1788, the Constitution became the official framework of the government of the United States of America when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it.

The Constitution, however, was still evolving. 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 Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document, and the Bill of Rights was not ratified to become part of the Constitution until the end of the following year.

There are two steps in the amendment process. Proposals to amend the Constitution must be properly adopted and ratified before they change the Constitution. First, there are two procedures for adopting the language of a proposed amendment, either by Congress, by a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, or by a national convention (which shall take place whenever two-thirds of the state legislatures collectively call for one).

The ratification process

There are two steps in the amendment process. Proposals to amend the Constitution must be properly adopted and ratified before they change the Constitution. First, there are two procedures for adopting the language of a proposed amendment, either by (a) Congress, by a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, or (b) national convention (which shall take place whenever two-thirds of the state legislatures collectively call for one).

The Articles of Confederation

The process of amending the Constitution is outlined in Article V of the Constitution. Amendments can be proposed by Congress, with a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, or by a national convention, which can be called by two-thirds of the state legislatures. Once an amendment is proposed, it must be ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures or by conventions in three-fourths of the states, depending on the nature of the amendment.

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The Bill of Rights

The US Constitution was adopted and signed on September 17, 1787, and the ratification process began that day. The Constitution 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. The Bill of Rights, consisting of ten amendments, was ratified on December 15, 1791, and became part of the Constitution.

The drafting of the Constitution of the United States began on May 25, 1787, when the Constitutional Convention met for the first time with a quorum at the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to revise the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation were tailored to a newly formed nation made of states acting more like independent, sovereign countries, and it became clear to some of America’s leaders that future stability required a stronger, more centralised government.

The ratification process for the Constitution ended when the final state, Rhode Island, ratified it on May 29, 1790. However, the US did not begin to look and function as it does today until several years later.

There are two steps in the amendment process. Proposals to amend the Constitution must be properly adopted and ratified before they change the Constitution. First, there are two procedures for adopting the language of a proposed amendment, either by Congress, by a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, or by a national convention (which shall take place whenever two-thirds of the state legislatures collectively call for one).

The amendment process

The Constitution of the United States was drafted and adopted on 17 September 1787, and the process of ratification began that day. The document was ratified by nine of the 13 states on 21 June 1788, and it became the official framework of the government of the United States of America. The final state, Rhode Island, ratified the Constitution on 29 May 1790.

There are two steps in the amendment process. First, a proposal to amend the Constitution must be properly adopted. This can be done in one of two ways: by Congress, with a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives; or by a national convention, which can be called whenever two-thirds of state legislatures collectively request one.

Once a proposal has been adopted, it must then be ratified. This can be done by a simple majority of state legislatures, or by a national referendum, depending on the nature of the amendment.

It is important to note that the amendment process is designed to guard against both extreme facility and extreme difficulty in changing the Constitution. This ensures that the document can be adapted to meet the needs of a changing nation, while also preserving its fundamental principles.

The process of amending the Constitution is a collaborative effort between the General and State Governments, with both having the power to originate the amendment of errors as they are identified. This ensures that the document remains a living, evolving framework that can adapt to the needs and values of the American people over time.

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