Simone Lawson
The Constitution of the United States was written in 1787, on September 17, during the Philadelphia Convention, now known as the Constitutional Convention. It was signed on the same day, in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall, in Philadelphia. The Constitution of the United States is the oldest national constitution in the world and has been an inspiration that changed the trajectory of world history. It is the supreme law of the land and outlines the legal system of the country and details its citizens' rights.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date written | 1787 |
| Date signed | 17th September 1787 |
| Location written | Philadelphia |
| Location signed | Independence Hall, Philadelphia |
| Type | Federal |
| Influences | Magna Carta, federations (both ancient and extant), English Bill of Rights, political philosophers of the eighteenth century |
| Purpose | To revise the existing government of the United States of America |
| Amendment | The Twenty-seventh Amendment (1992) |
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution was written and signed in 1787
The Constitution was crafted during the Philadelphia Convention, also known as the Constitutional Convention, which took place from May 25 to September 17, 1787. The delegates, including Revolutionary War hero George Washington, gathered in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall in Philadelphia. This location held symbolic significance as it was the same place where the Declaration of Independence had been signed 11 years earlier, in 1776.
The Constitutional Convention was conducted under an oath of secrecy, and the final document represented a compromise between delegates with diverse interests and views. The Constitution established a powerful central government, addressing concerns about the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, which lacked enforcement powers and the ability to regulate commerce or print money.
The Constitution delineated the framework of the federal government, embodying the doctrine of the separation of powers. It divided the government into three branches: the legislative, consisting of a bicameral Congress; the executive, consisting of the President and subordinate officers; and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts.
While the Constitution was signed in 1787, it required ratification by at least nine of the 13 states to become enshrined in law. This process faced opposition and was a challenging endeavour, with some states, like Massachusetts, objecting to the lack of constitutional protection of basic political rights. Eventually, a compromise was reached, and the necessary nine states ratified the Constitution, with New Hampshire becoming the final state to do so in June 1788.
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The Constitution was influenced by the study of the Magna Carta
The US Constitution was written in the 18th century, in 1787, and signed on September 17 of the same year. It was written following the American Revolutionary War, which lasted from 1775 to 1783, and the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The Constitution was influenced by several factors, including the study of the Magna Carta, also known as the "Great Charter".
The Magna Carta was a charter of rights agreed to by King John of England in 1215. It was Europe's first written constitution, establishing a legal system that the king had to abide by and offering protections for the clergy and nobility. The Founding Fathers of the United States admired the charter's rebellious nature against the monarchy. They were inspired by the concept of a constitutionally limited government, which is reflected in the US Constitution.
The Magna Carta introduced several legal concepts that influenced American law and the US Constitution. For example, it provided protections against illegal imprisonment, forming the basis for the concept of habeas corpus. It also assured access to swift justice, an early form of due process, and established the right to trial by a jury of one's peers. The Magna Carta's influence can be seen in the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees due process of law, and the Sixth Amendment, which ensures the right to a speedy trial.
The Magna Carta represented the idea that people could assert their rights against an oppressive ruler, and this legacy resonated with the American distrust of concentrated political power. As a result, many state constitutions included declarations of rights intended to guarantee individual citizens protections and immunities from the state government. The US Constitution's focus on limiting governmental power and guaranteeing individual rights can be traced back to the principles established by the Magna Carta.
The influence of the Magna Carta on the US Constitution was shaped by the eighteenth-century interpretation of the document. For example, the theory of representative government, the idea of a supreme law, and judicial review are all concepts that were influenced by the eighteenth-century understanding of the Magna Carta. The state declarations of rights and the United States Bill of Rights incorporated guarantees that were understood to descend from the rights protected by the Magna Carta.
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The Constitution was written during the Philadelphia Convention
The Constitution of the United States was written in the late 18th century, in 1787. It was written during the Philadelphia Convention, now known as the Constitutional Convention, which convened from May 25 to September 17, 1787. The Constitutional Convention was conducted under an oath of secrecy, so the first time the American people saw the Constitution was when it was published in a newspaper, The Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser, on September 19, 1787—two days after it was signed.
The U.S. Constitution was a federal constitution that was heavily influenced by the study of the Magna Carta and other federations, both ancient and modern. The Due Process Clause of the Constitution was partly based on common law and the Magna Carta (1215), which became the foundation of English liberty against arbitrary power. The idea of the Separation of Powers inherent in the Constitution was largely inspired by 18th-century Enlightenment philosophers, such as Montesquieu, Locke, Edward Coke, and William Blackstone. These political philosophers were frequently referred to prior to and during the framing and signing of the Constitution.
The Constitution was written a few years after the Revolutionary War, as James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington feared that their young country was on the brink of collapse. 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 country apart. Alexander Hamilton helped convince Congress to organize a Grand Convention of state delegates to work on revising the Articles of Confederation.
On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution, with George Reed signing on behalf of the absent John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The delegates were tasked with revising the existing government, but they ended up creating a completely new form of government. Representing diverse interests and views, they crafted compromises and set the terms for ratifying the Constitution. They bypassed the state legislatures and called for special ratifying conventions in each state, reasoning that members of the state legislatures would be reluctant to give up power to a national government. Ratification by 9 of the 13 states enacted the new government.
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The document was signed by 38 delegates
The US Constitution was written and signed in the 18th century, in 1787. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 delegates, with George Reed signing on behalf of John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The signing of the document took place in Philadelphia in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall. This was also the place where the Declaration of Independence was signed.
The Constitutional Convention, which drafted the Constitution, was conducted under an oath of secrecy. The public first saw the Constitution when it was published in a newspaper, The Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser, on September 19, 1787, two days after it was signed. The original signed, handwritten Constitution is kept at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
The Constitution was a federal document influenced by the study of the Magna Carta and other ancient and extant federations. The Due Process Clause of the Constitution was partly based on common law and the Magna Carta (1215), which became a foundation of English liberty against arbitrary power. The idea of the Separation of Powers in the Constitution was inspired by 18th-century Enlightenment philosophers such as Montesquieu, Locke, Edward Coke, and William Blackstone.
The Constitution was written a few years after the Revolutionary War, as James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington feared that their young country was on the brink of collapse. America's first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, gave the Confederation Congress rule-making and funding powers, but it lacked enforcement powers, the ability to regulate commerce, or print money. The states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the country apart.
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The Constitution is the supreme law of the land
The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. Drafted in 1787, it is the oldest national constitution in the world. The Constitution is a federal one, influenced by the study of the Magna Carta and other federations, both ancient and modern. The Due Process Clause of the Constitution was partly based on common law and on the Magna Carta (1215), which became a foundation of English liberty against arbitrary power. The idea of the Separation of Powers inherent in the Constitution was inspired by eighteenth-century Enlightenment philosophers, such as Montesquieu, Locke, Edward Coke, and William Blackstone.
The Constitution was written during the Philadelphia Convention, now known as the Constitutional Convention, which convened from May 25 to September 17, 1787. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 delegates, with George Reed signing for John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The Constitutional Convention was conducted under an oath of secrecy, so the first time the public saw the Constitution was when it was published in a newspaper, The Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser, on September 19, 1787—two days after it was signed. The original signed, handwritten Constitution is at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
The Constitution was written as a response to the inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, 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 disputes among the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart. The Constitution aimed to create a government with enough power to act on a national level, but without so much power that fundamental rights would be at risk. This was achieved by separating the powers of the government into three branches (legislative, executive, and judicial) and including checks and balances on those powers to ensure that no one branch of government gained supremacy.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution was written in the 18th century, in 1787.
The US Constitution was a federal constitution influenced by the study of the Magna Carta and other federations, both ancient and extant. The Due Process Clause of the Constitution was partly based on common law and on the Magna Carta, which became a foundation of English liberty against arbitrary power. The idea of Separation of Powers inherent in the Constitution was inspired by 18th-century Enlightenment philosophers, such as Montesquieu, Locke, Edward Coke, and William Blackstone.
The US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are distinct documents, with the latter being written in 1776. The Declaration of Independence was a list of grievances against the King of England to justify separation from British rule. The US Constitution, on the other hand, was a charter of government that was ratified by the states and became the supreme law of the land.
