Simone Lawson
The Declaration of Independence (DOI) was written to express the ideals on which the United States was founded and the reasons for separation from Great Britain. The DOI is one of three documents, known collectively as the Charters of Freedom, that are considered instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States. The United States Constitution, which superseded the Articles of Confederation, is considered the oldest written constitution still in force. It was drafted on September 17, 1787, ratified on June 21, 1788, and came into effect on March 4, 1789.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of drafting | 17 September 1787 |
| Date of ratification | 21 June 1788 |
| Date of coming into effect | 4 March 1789 |
| Author | James Madison |
| Type of government | Federal |
| Number of branches of government | 3 |
| Number of articles | 7 |
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What You'll Learn
The Articles of Confederation were America's first constitution
The Articles of Confederation provided for a one-house legislature, a weak executive, no national taxation power, a lack of standard currency, and voting by state. These flaws, along with its inability to enforce rules, regulate commerce, or print money, eventually led to its failure. America's first constitution created a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak central government, leaving most of the power with the state governments.
The Articles of Confederation gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states. However, it lacked enforcement powers, which, coupled with the states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatened to tear the young country apart. Nationalists, led by James Madison, George Washington, and Alexander Hamilton, began working towards strengthening the federal government.
The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation. On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the new Constitution, creating a powerful central government. The Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation on March 4, 1789, and is now the oldest written constitution still in force.
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The Articles of Confederation were weak and flawed
The Declaration of Independence expressed the ideals on which the United States was founded and the reasons for separation from Great Britain. The Constitution of the United States is the oldest written constitution that is still enforced. It was drafted on September 17, 1787, ratified on June 21, 1788, and came into effect on March 4, 1789.
The Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, was weak and flawed. It was adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, but the states did not ratify it until March 1, 1781. The Articles created a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak central government, leaving most of the power with the state governments. The Articles provided for a one-house legislature, a weak executive, no national power of taxation, a lack of standard currency, and voting by state. These flaws would eventually lead to its failure.
Once peace removed the rationale of wartime necessity, the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation became increasingly apparent. Divisions among the states and even local rebellions threatened to destroy the fruits of the Revolution. Nationalists, led by James Madison, George Washington, and Alexander Hamilton, almost immediately began working toward strengthening the federal government.
America’s first constitution, 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 states’ disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart.
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The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation
The Declaration of Independence expressed the ideals on which the United States was founded and the reasons for separation from Great Britain. Shortly after the Revolutionary War began at Concord and Lexington, Benjamin Franklin submitted a plan for a united colonial confederation or American republic to the Continental Congress on July 21, 1775.
Nationalists, led by James Madison, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Wilson, almost immediately began working toward strengthening the federal government. America’s first constitution, 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 states’ disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart.
The Constitution of the United States is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. It superseded the Articles of Confederation on March 4, 1789. The Constitution's first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, in which the federal government is divided into three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress (Article I); the executive, consisting of the president and subordinate officers (Article II); and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts (Article III).
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The Constitution was drafted on 17 September 1787
The United States Constitution was drafted on 17 September 1787 and signed on the same day. The document was created by delegates to the Constitutional Convention, who met in Philadelphia between May and September 1787. The convention was convened to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation.
The delegates, including Revolutionary War hero and Virginia delegate George Washington, who was elected convention president, created a model of government that relied on a series of checks and balances. They divided federal authority between the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. The convention also debated how much power to allow the central government, how many representatives in Congress to allow each state, and how these representatives should be elected.
The Constitution established a federal government with more specific powers, including those related to conducting relations with foreign governments. Under the reformed federal system, many of the responsibilities for foreign affairs fell under the authority of an executive branch, although important powers, such as treaty ratification, remained the responsibility of the legislative branch.
The document was ratified on 21 June 1788 when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it, and it came into effect on 4 March 1789. The United States Constitution is the oldest written constitution still in operation in the world.
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The Constitution is the supreme law of the United States
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is considered the oldest written constitution that is still enforced. The Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, on March 4, 1789. The Articles of Confederation were ratified on March 1, 1781, and provided for a one-house legislature, a weak executive, no national power of taxation, a lack of standard currency, and voting by state. However, the Articles' flaws became increasingly apparent, and disputes among the states threatened to tear the country apart.
Nationalists, led by James Madison, George Washington, and Alexander Hamilton, began working towards strengthening the federal government. The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787, and on September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution, creating a powerful central government. The Constitution's first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, dividing the federal government into three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress (Article I); the executive, consisting of the President and subordinate officers (Article II); and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts (Article III).
Article IV, Article V, and Article VI outline the rights and responsibilities of state governments, the relationship between the states and the federal government, and the shared process of constitutional amendment. Article VI also establishes the supremacy of the Constitution and federal laws over state laws. The Constitution's seven articles delineate the framework of the federal government, and it stands today as one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions globally.
The Bill of Rights, consisting of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, defines the rights of citizens and states in relation to the government. The Charters of Freedom, comprising the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, have secured the rights of Americans and are considered instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States.
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Frequently asked questions
The Articles of Confederation, which was adopted on November 15, 1777, was the first constitution of the United States.
The Constitution of the United States came into effect on March 4, 1789.
The Constitution of the United States was written by 38 delegates, with George Reed signing on behalf of John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39.
The Constitution of the United States is divided into three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress (Article I); the executive, consisting of the president and subordinate officers (Article II); and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts (Article III).
