Isabella Carter
The United States Constitution has had a long and complex history, from its creation in 1787 to the present day. The Constitution was drafted by delegates at the Philadelphia Convention in 1787, which was convened to address the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution. The delegates, including George Washington, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton, sought to create a stronger central government while balancing the interests and views of the different states. The final document, signed by 39 delegates, was a series of compromises that created a powerful central government, bypassing state legislatures and calling for special ratifying conventions in each state. The Constitution has been amended several times, including the 17th Amendment standardizing the election of senators, the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote, and the 21st Amendment repealing prohibition. The United States Constitution has also influenced governance worldwide, with similarities found in other constitutions and the adoption of principles such as the rule of law and recognition of individual rights.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of the first "United States" confederation | 03/01/1781 |
| Date of the ratification of the Treaty of Paris | 01/14/1784 |
| Date of Shays' Rebellion | 08/1786 |
| Date of the Annapolis Convention | 09/14/1786 |
| Date the Constitutional Convention opened | 05/25/1787 |
| Date the convention accepted the first draft of the Constitution | 08/06/1787 |
| Date the Constitution was signed | 09/17/1787 |
| Date Amendment 17 was passed | 04/08/1913 |
| Date Amendment 18 was passed | 01/16/1919 |
| Date Amendment 19 was passed | 08/18/1920 |
| Date Amendment 20 was passed | 01/23/1933 |
| Date Amendment 21 was passed | 05/12/1933 |
| Date the Confederate Constitution was created | 03/11/1861 |
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What You'll Learn
The Articles of Confederation
The final draft of the Articles of Confederation was completed on November 15, 1777, and it was submitted to the states for ratification in late November 1777. The first state to ratify was Virginia on December 16, 1777. 12 states had ratified the Articles by February 1779, 14 months into the process. Maryland was the last remaining holdout, refusing to go along until the landed states, especially Virginia, had indicated they were prepared to cede their claims west of the Ohio River to the Union. Maryland finally ratified the Articles on February 2, 1781, and Congress was informed of its assent on March 1, officially proclaiming the Articles of Confederation to be the law of the land.
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The Constitutional Convention
James Madison, often referred to as the "Father of the Constitution", arrived two weeks before the start of the convention to lay out his "Virginia Plan" with other Virginia delegates. The convention spent its first few weeks discussing and revising the Virginia Plan. On May 25, 1787, the convention opened with Robert Morris of Pennsylvania, the "financier" of the Revolution, making a nomination. On June 18, Alexander Hamilton, a strong opponent of monarchy, presented his own plan of government, which included a model similar to that of the British government. However, his proposal failed to gain a following as it was seen as too extreme.
On August 6, 1787, the convention accepted the first draft of the Constitution. The members began to consider the various sections, and the issue of regulating commerce, as well as slavery, emerged as a serious controversy. On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution, with George Reed signing on behalf of John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. Several delegates were disappointed with the result, seeing it as a series of compromises, and three refused to sign. Benjamin Franklin, while not fully approving of the Constitution, accepted it as the best option.
The advocates of the Constitution sought unanimous support from the twelve states represented at the convention. They decided to bypass the state legislatures and called for special ratifying conventions in each state. Ratification by 9 of the 13 states was required to enact the new government. The Federalists, who believed in a strong central government, faced opposition from the Anti-Federalists, who saw the Constitution as creating a powerful central government reminiscent of the one they had overthrown, and lacking a bill of rights. The ratification process was a challenging one, but eventually, the necessary number of states was secured.
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Signing the Constitution
The signing of the United States Constitution took place on September 17, 1787, at the Constitutional Convention's final session. The final document was engrossed by Jacob Shallus. Of the 39 signatures, 38 were from delegates, with George Read signing on behalf of John Dickinson of Delaware, who was absent. Benjamin Franklin, one of the signatories, summed up the sentiments of the occasion, acknowledging that while there were parts of the Constitution that he did not approve of, he accepted it, hoping for future improvement and believing it to be the best option available.
The signing of the Constitution marked the culmination of efforts to address the deficiencies of the Articles of Confederation, which had served as America's first constitution after the Revolutionary War. The Articles had granted the Confederation Congress rule-making and funding powers but lacked enforcement, commerce regulation, and money-printing capabilities. Disputes between the states threatened the young nation's stability.
The Constitutional Convention, which met in Philadelphia in May 1787, was tasked with revising the existing government. The delegates, representing diverse interests and views, crafted a powerful central government and made compromises to bridge their differences. The final document resulted from article-by-article revisions over five weeks following the acceptance of the first draft on August 6, 1787.
The most contentious issue during the drafting process was the regulation of commerce, with southern states concerned about the potential economic impact of export taxes imposed by a New England-dominated Congress. This debate intersected with another explosive issue: slavery. The delegates ultimately created a powerful central government while navigating the complexities of their varying perspectives.
The ratification process for the Constitution bypassed state legislatures, opting instead for special ratifying conventions in each state. Ratification by 9 of the 13 states was required to enact the new government. The Federalists, who favoured a robust central government, faced opposition from Anti-Federalists, who resisted the formation of a powerful central authority reminiscent of the one they had overthrown. The "vote now, amend later" compromise in Massachusetts proved pivotal, securing victory in that state and ultimately in the final holdouts, paving the way for the establishment of the enduring and influential United States Constitution.
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Ratification
The tide turned in Massachusetts, where the "vote now, amend later" compromise helped secure victory. Ratification by nine of the thirteen states was required to enact the new government. On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution, with George Reed signing on behalf of John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. Benjamin Franklin, addressing the convention, summed up the sentiment of many delegates:
> "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. From such an assembly can a perfect production be expected?"
The advocates of the Constitution sought unanimous support from all twelve states represented at the convention. Their accepted formula for the closing endorsement was "Done in Convention, by the unanimous consent of the States present."
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Amendments
The US Constitution has 27 amendments, with approximately 11,848 proposals to amend the document having been introduced in Congress since 1789. The first ten amendments, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791.
The process of amending the Constitution begins with a proposal by two-thirds of both houses of Congress or by a national convention called by Congress at the request of two-thirds of the state legislatures. Once a proposal is approved by Congress, it is sent to the states for ratification. To become part of the Constitution, an amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states.
The Twenty-first Amendment, ratified in 1933, is the only amendment to be ratified by state conventions. It repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, which had established the prohibition of alcohol.
The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments are collectively known as the Reconstruction Amendments.
The last time a proposal gained the necessary two-thirds support in both the House and the Senate for submission to the states was the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment in 1978.
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Frequently asked questions
The drafting of the US Constitution began on May 25, 1787, when the Constitutional Convention met for the first time at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The convention's initial mandate was limited to amending the Articles of Confederation, which had been in force since 1781. However, delegates almost immediately began considering measures to replace the Articles.
Delegates to the convention were chosen by the state legislatures of 12 of the 13 original states. Notable delegates included James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Robert Morris.
The ratification process began on September 17, 1787, the day the Frame of Government drafted by the convention's delegates was adopted and signed. The process ended when the final state, Rhode Island, ratified the Constitution on May 29, 1790.
To satisfy interests in the South, the delegates agreed to protect the slave trade for 20 years and allow states to count three-fifths of their slaves towards their population for representation purposes. They also adopted the Connecticut Compromise, which proposed a Congress with proportional representation in the lower house and equal representation in the upper house (the Senate).
