The Constitution's Journey: Post-Signing Events And Impact

The signing of the United States Constitution took place on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention, representing 12 states (all but Rhode Island, which declined to send delegates), endorsed the Constitution. The signing of the Constitution was an extraordinary achievement, as the delegates came up with a completely new form of government, creating a powerful central government while protecting the prerogatives of the states. However, several delegates were disappointed by the compromises contained in the final document, and some did not sign it at all. After the signing, the process of ratification began, with Delaware becoming the first state to ratify the Constitution on December 7, 1787. The new government under the Constitution officially began on March 4, 1789, with George Washington as the first President.

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The signing of the United States Constitution took place on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The process leading up to the signing was not without challenges and disagreements. Several delegates expressed disappointment with the compromises made, believing they weakened the Constitution. Alexander Hamilton, for instance, described it as a "weak and worthless fabric". Despite these concerns, most delegates, like Benjamin Franklin, chose to sign, acknowledging that it may not be perfect but hoping it would meet the immediate needs of the states.

The delegates who signed the Constitution had diverse backgrounds, with almost all of them having participated in the American Revolution. Seven of them had signed the Declaration of Independence, and 30 had served in the military. The signing of the Constitution was a significant step towards establishing a stronger, more centralized government, addressing the limitations of the previous governing document, the Articles of Confederation.

After the signing, the focus shifted to gaining state ratification. The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. The terms of the Massachusetts Compromise, reached in February 1788, led to the proposal of amendments, resulting in the Bill of Rights. By June 1788, the required 9 out of 13 states had ratified the Constitution, and the Confederation Congress announced the new government's start date as March 4, 1789.

The nation's first presidential election took place, resulting in George Washington being elected President and John Adams as Vice President. The Constitution continued to evolve, with Madison introducing 17 amendments, 12 of which were adopted by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. The Bill of Rights, consisting of ten amendments, was ratified on December 15, 1791. The United States Constitution stands as one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world.

39 delegates signed the Constitution, representing 12 states

The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention, representing 12 states, endorsed the Constitution. All but Rhode Island, which declined to send delegates, were present.

The delegates were tasked with revising the existing government structure, but they ended up creating a completely new system. They crafted a powerful central government while also protecting the prerogatives of the states. The final document was a compromise that addressed the states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade.

The signing of the Constitution was the culmination of a four-month-long convention that began in May 1787. The delegates met in Philadelphia, shuttering the windows of the State House to ensure privacy for their discussions. They recognised the need for a stronger central government, as the Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, had failed to empower the central government adequately.

The delegates who signed the Constitution represented a cross-section of 18th-century American leadership, with virtually all of them having participated in the American Revolution. They ranged in age from 26-year-old Jonathan Dayton to 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin. Despite their differences, they came together to create a document that laid out the framework for the nation's federal government and defined the roles of its three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.

The delegates created a powerful central government, despite concerns about centralised power

The delegates of the United States Constitution created a powerful central government, despite concerns about centralised power. The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by 39 delegates representing 12 states. Rhode Island was the only state that refused to send delegates.

The delegates aimed to revise the existing government, but ultimately created a new one, addressing the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution. The Articles had established a weak central government, giving the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it lacked enforcement powers, the ability to regulate commerce, and the authority to print money. The delegates, representing diverse interests and views, crafted compromises and expanded the power of the central government while protecting the prerogatives of the states.

The Federalists, who believed a strong central government was necessary to address the nation's challenges, faced opposition from the Anti-Federalists, who fought against the Constitution as it reminded them of the recently overthrown centralised government and lacked a bill of rights. The Anti-Federalists, dubbed "Anti-Federalists" by their opponents, preferred the decentralised nature of the Articles of Confederation as a check on central power. Despite these concerns, the delegates created a powerful central government, establishing a federal government with more specific powers, including the authority to conduct relations with foreign governments.

The delegates to the Constitutional Convention created a model of government that relied on a system of checks and balances by dividing federal authority between the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. This model ensured that no single branch held excessive power and provided a framework for the nation's federal government, delineating the functioning of its three branches. The Constitution also provided essential documentation of its validity, recording who signed it, when, and where, along with the roles played by the signers in its development.

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The delegates crafted compromises to unite wildly differing interests and views

The delegates of the 1787 Constitutional Convention crafted compromises to unite the wildly differing interests and views of the 12 states (all except Rhode Island) that were represented. The convention was convened because there was a consensus that the Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, needed significant revisions. The Articles had established a weak national government that lacked the power to raise revenue, regulate commerce, enforce laws, or conduct diplomatic relations.

One of the fiercest arguments during the convention was over congressional representation—whether it should be based on population or divided equally among the states. The framers compromised by giving each state one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate. This became known as the "Great Compromise" or the "Connecticut Compromise".

Another contentious issue was how to count enslaved Africans towards representation. Delegates from Northern states, where the economy did not rely heavily on the enslavement of African people, felt that enslaved people should not count towards representation. In contrast, Southern states fought for enslaved individuals to be counted. The compromise, known as the "three-fifths compromise", was that every five enslaved people would be counted as three individuals. It was also agreed that the slave trade could continue until 1808.

The delegates also disagreed on how the president should be elected. While some felt that the president should be popularly elected, others feared that the electorate would not be informed enough to make that decision. The delegates proposed alternatives such as going through each state's Senate to elect the president.

Despite these compromises, several delegates were disappointed by the numerous concessions contained in the final document. Alexander Hamilton called the Constitution a "weak and worthless fabric", and Luther Martin regarded it as a stab in the back of the goddess of liberty. Benjamin Franklin, who accepted the Constitution despite his reservations, summed up the sentiments of those who signed, 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."

The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document

The US Constitution, which lays out the framework for the nation's federal government and delineates how its three branches (legislative, executive, and judicial) are to function, was signed on September 17, 1787. However, it was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document.

Rhode Island's role in the drafting and ratification of the Constitution differed from that of the other states. Notably, it was the only state that refused to send delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. When asked to convene a state convention to ratify the Constitution, Rhode Island instead left the decision to individual towns, asking them to vote. This resistance was due to several concerns, including the belief that the Constitution gave too much power to the central government at the expense of the states, and that it would make the state's practice of printing paper money illegal. Additionally, the Constitution, in its original form, did not explicitly protect religious freedom, a core principle of Rhode Island.

Fearing reprisals from the other 12 ratifying states and facing secession threats from Providence, Newport, and Bristol, Rhode Island eventually held a convention and ratified the Constitution in 1790. This completed the ratification process, making the United States Constitution the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world.

The road to ratifying the Constitution was not without its challenges. Several delegates were disappointed by the compromises contained in the final document, believing that they had compromised its quality. Some delegates even refused to sign the Constitution, including Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, George Mason of Virginia, and Randolph. Despite these differences, the delegates' goal was to create a powerful central government that addressed the concerns of the time, such as the country's stability and the limitations of the Articles of Confederation, which gave the Confederation Congress rule-making and funding-request powers but lacked enforcement capabilities and the ability to regulate commerce or print money.

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