Eleanor Finch
The United States Constitution was signed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 17, 1787. The signing of the Constitution took place in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall, and it was an extraordinary achievement. The delegates came up with a powerful central government, replacing the weak central government established by the Articles of Confederation.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | September 17, 1787 |
| Location | Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Number of Signatures | 39 |
| Number of Signers | 38 |
| Youngest Signer | Jonathan Dayton, age 26 |
| Oldest Signer | Benjamin Franklin, age 81 |
| Type of Government | Federal |
| Number of Branches | 3 |
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution was signed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Constitutional Convention was convened to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation. The delegates, led by George Washington, came up with a plan for a new form of republican government with a powerful central government. This new government would have three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial.
The convention featured many great minds of the day, including James Madison, James Wilson, Gouverneur Morris, and, for a while, Alexander Hamilton. Benjamin Franklin, at the age of 81, was too weak to read his speech and asked James Wilson to do so on his behalf. In his speech, Franklin acknowledged that there were parts of the Constitution that he did not approve of but argued that it was still worth signing. He concluded with a plea for all the delegates to sign the document.
Of the 41 men in the room, 39 signed the Constitution, with George Read signing for an absent John Dickinson. William Jackson, the group's secretary, also signed to attest to the Constitution's authenticity. The three dissenters who refused to sign were Elbridge Gerry, George Mason, and Edmund Randolph. The signing of the Constitution marked the end of the convention, and the document was then carried to Congress in New York City.
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39 delegates endorsed the Constitution
The US Constitution was signed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 17, 1787, in Independence Hall. The Constitutional Convention, also known as the Philadelphia Convention, was convened from May 25 to September 17, 1787, in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall.
The Constitutional Convention was conducted under an oath of secrecy. The original 13 states collectively appointed 74 individuals to the Convention, but only 55 delegates attended the sessions. Of these, 39 endorsed the Constitution. The delegates ranged in age from 26-year-old Jonathan Dayton to 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin, who was too weak to read his own speech and had to ask James Wilson to do so on his behalf.
The signing of the Constitution was the culmination of four months of deliberations by the delegates, who drew up a plan for a new form of republican government to replace the weak central government established by the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution established a federal government with more specific powers, including those related to conducting relations with foreign governments. It also set up a system of checks and balances by dividing federal authority between the legislative, judicial, and executive branches.
The closing endorsement of the Constitution was made intentionally ambiguous to win over the votes of dissenting delegates. Benjamin Franklin summed up the sentiments of those who did sign, stating:
> "There are several parts of this Constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them. I doubt too whether any other Convention we can obtain, may be able to make a better Constitution. For when you assemble a number of men to have the advantage of their joint wisdom, you inevitably assemble with those men, all their prejudices, their passions, their errors of opinion, their local interests, and their selfish views."
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The signing occurred at Independence Hall
The signing of the United States Constitution occurred on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Independence Hall, then known as the Pennsylvania State House, was also where the Declaration of Independence was signed.
The Constitutional Convention, which took place from May to September 1787, addressed the weaknesses of the central government under the Articles of Confederation. The delegates, led by George Washington, created a new form of government with a stronger federal government and a system of checks and balances. They established three branches of government: the legislative, executive, and judicial.
The signing of the Constitution was preceded by a speech from Benjamin Franklin, who made a motion to sign the document. Despite some objections and three delegates refusing to sign, the motion was approved by 10 state delegations. The signing of the Constitution marked the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention and the creation of a new government for the United States.
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The Constitutional Convention was held from May to September 1787
The United States Constitution was signed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 17, 1787. The signing took place at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention, which had been convened to address the shortcomings of the weak central government established by the Articles of Confederation.
The convention was led by George Washington, who presided over the intense and lengthy debates that took place during the four-month convention. The delegates to the convention, including James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, James Wilson, Gouverneur Morris, and Benjamin Franklin, created a new model of government that established a federal government with more specific powers, including those related to conducting relations with foreign governments. They also created a system of checks and balances by dividing federal authority between the legislative, judicial, and executive branches.
The final day of the convention, September 17, 1787, saw Benjamin Franklin deliver an address endorsing the Constitution, despite any perceived imperfections. He proposed that the delegates sign the document as individual witnesses of the unanimous consent of the states present, rather than on behalf of their individual states. Of the 41 men in the room, 39 endorsed the Constitution, with George Read signing for the absent John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The convention's secretary, William Jackson, also signed to attest to the Constitution's authenticity.
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The Constitution was ratified in 1789
The United States Constitution was signed in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. It was written during the Philadelphia Convention, now known as the Constitutional Convention, which convened from May 25 to September 17, 1787. The Constitution was signed in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall.
The Constitutional Convention was conducted under an oath of secrecy, so when the document was printed in The Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser two days after it was signed, it represented the first time that Americans saw the Constitution. The original signed, handwritten Constitution is now held at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
The Constitution did not go into effect immediately after it was signed. It needed to be ratified by the states, as per Article VII of the Constitution. This article established that ratification by the conventions of nine states would be sufficient for the establishment of the Constitution. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution.
After the ratification of the Constitution, the machinery of state had been designed but not yet tested or put to use. The precedent for the practice of considering and proposing Constitutional amendments was set in 1789, when Congress considered and proposed the first several Constitutional amendments.
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitution was signed in Philadelphia.
The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787.
The Constitution was signed in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall.
Of the 41 men in the room, 38 signed the document, with George Read also signing for an absent John Dickinson. William Jackson, the group’s secretary, signed to attest to the Constitution’s authenticity.
