Omar Bennett
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, in Independence Hall, Philadelphia. The building, constructed between 1732 and 1756, was originally known as the Pennsylvania State House. The Constitutional Convention, a series of meetings and debates, was held in the hall's Assembly Room from May to September 1787. The convention was conducted under an oath of secrecy, and the final document was signed by 39 of the 41 men in attendance.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | September 17, 1787 |
| Building | Independence Hall |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Previous name | Pennsylvania State House |
| Attendees | 41 men |
| Signatories | 38 |
| Youngest signatory | Jonathan Dayton, 26 |
| Oldest signatory | Benjamin Franklin, 81 |
| Painter | Howard Chandler Christy |
| Year painting was completed | 1940 |
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What You'll Learn
The Constitution was signed in Philadelphia's Independence Hall
The United States Constitution was signed in Philadelphia's Independence Hall, then known as the Pennsylvania State House, on September 17, 1787. The building, constructed between 1732 and 1756, served as a significant site for important events in American history.
The Constitutional Convention, a series of meetings and debates, was held in the Assembly Room of Independence Hall from May to September 1787. The Convention aimed to revise the Articles of Confederation, which established a weak central government. However, it became clear by mid-June that the delegates would draft an entirely new form of government.
The Constitution was the result of months of passionate and thoughtful deliberation among the delegates. Many individuals made important contributions, including James Madison, often referred to as the "Father of the Constitution" due to his driving force and the inclusion of many of his ideas in the final document. Other notable delegates included Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, James Wilson, and Gouverneur Morris.
On the final day of the Convention, Benjamin Franklin, at the age of 81, delivered a powerful address in support of the Constitution. Due to his poor health, Franklin's speech was read by James Wilson. Franklin acknowledged that while he did not approve of every part of the Constitution, he accepted it because he did not expect anything better and believed it was the best option. This speech concluded with a plea for all the delegates to sign the Constitution.
Of the 41 men in the room, 38 signed the document, with George Read signing on behalf of the absent John Dickinson. The convention's secretary, William Jackson, also signed to attest to the Constitution's authenticity. The signing of the Constitution established the federal government of the United States and outlined the roles of its three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.
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39 delegates signed the document
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Of the 74 delegates chosen to attend the Constitutional Convention, 55 attended, and 39 signed the document. The 39 signatories endorsed the Constitution, which was created during the four-month-long convention. The endorsement included a declaration that the delegates' work had been completed and that those who signed the document agreed with its final form.
The signing of the Constitution was preceded by a debate. Three of the 42 delegates who remained at the convention after 13 had dropped out refused to sign the document. These dissenters—Elbridge Gerry, George Mason, and Edmund Randolph—objected to the final version of the Constitution. On the other side of the debate were Gouverneur Morris and Alexander Hamilton, who argued that the delegates needed to sign the Constitution. Benjamin Franklin, who at 81 was the oldest signer, made a powerful argument for the new Constitution and a final motion to sign the document, which was approved by 10 of the state delegations.
The delegates' signatures were appended to the document in a specific order. The convention's president, George Washington, signed first, followed by the other delegates, grouped by states in progression from north to south. The convention's secretary, William Jackson, also signed the document to authenticate some corrections.
Howard Chandler Christy's painting, "Signing of the Constitution," depicts the scene at Independence Hall on September 17, 1787. The painting, which includes portraits of 37 out of the 39 delegates, is on display in the east grand stairway of the House wing in the U.S. Capitol.
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3 refused to sign
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Constitutional Convention started in May 1787 and lasted for four months. During this time, the delegates drew up a plan for a new form of republican government to replace the weak central government established by the Articles of Confederation.
Of the 41 men in the room, 38 signed the document, with George Read also signing on behalf of the absent John Dickinson. The three who refused to sign were Elbridge Gerry, George Mason, and Edmund Randolph. They objected to the final version of the Constitution and explained their reasons during the debate.
The signing of the Constitution was a significant event in American history, and it is commemorated in a painting by Howard Chandler Christy, completed in 1940. The painting, titled "Signing of the Constitution," depicts the scene at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on the day of the signing. It is on display in the east grand stairway of the House wing in the U.S. Capitol.
The delegates who signed the Constitution represented a cross-section of 18th-century American leadership, with experience in local, colonial, and state governments. Many of them had also taken part in the American Revolution, and some had signed the Declaration of Independence or served on active military duty. The youngest signer was Jonathan Dayton, age 26, while the oldest was Benjamin Franklin, age 81.
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The signing was depicted in a painting by Howard Chandler Christy
The signing of the United States Constitution was depicted in a painting by Howard Chandler Christy, titled 'Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States'. The painting was completed in 1940 and is one of the best-known images in the United States Capitol, where it is on display in the east grand stairway of the House wing. The painting is a 20-by-30-foot framed oil-on-canvas scene that depicts Independence Hall in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. It is considered one of the most accurate depictions of the signing, with Christy taking several measures to ensure historical authenticity.
Christy created the painting after a proposal by Representative Sol Bloom, the Director General of the United States Constitution Sesquicentennial Commission, in 1937 as part of the 150th anniversary of the Constitution. The painting took three years to complete, with Bloom and Christy working together to locate early portraits of the signers and fill in historical details. Christy also made a sketch of the scene in Independence Hall at the same time of day as the signing to accurately capture the angle of sunlight in the room. He researched authentic costumes, including a pair of George Washington's breeches borrowed from the Smithsonian Institution, and he depicted the furniture and artifacts used by the delegates.
The painting includes portraits of 37 out of the 39 delegates who signed the Constitution, as well as the convention's secretary, William Jackson. Christy took some liberties in composing the scene, including John Dickinson, whose signature was added by proxy, and obscuring the faces of two signers, Thomas FitzSimons and Jacob Broom, as no portraits were found. The books beside Franklin's chair were part of Thomas Jefferson's library, borrowed from the Rare Book Room of the Library of Congress, to acknowledge Jefferson's importance to the Constitution. The flags depicted in the painting are the Stars and Stripes, one from a Maryland dragoon regiment, and regimental colours from Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Christy's painting is considered one of the most famous depictions of the early days of the United States, alongside "Washington Crossing the Delaware" by Emanuel Leutze. It is acclaimed as one of the best pictures ever created of the American Founding, known for its bright and airy colours and almost impressionistic brushwork. The painting's frame, measuring 20 by 30 feet, was hand-carved and given a gold-leaf finish by Azeglio Pancani of New York.
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The original is at the National Archives in Washington, D.C
The United States Constitution, one of the most important documents in the history of the country, was signed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 17, 1787, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention. The document was drafted and signed in the Old City Hall, also known as Independence Hall, which still stands today as a
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitution was signed in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787.
Of the 41 men in the room, 38 signed the document, with George Read signing on behalf of John Dickinson who was absent. William Jackson, the group's secretary, also signed to attest to the Constitution's authenticity.
Independence Hall is a public building. It was completed in 1756 and served as the Pennsylvania State House.
