Omar Bennett
The Constitution of the United States is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in the world. It is the supreme law of the United States of America, superseding the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution. The Constitution's main provisions include seven articles that define the basic framework of the federal government. The famous first 52 words of the Constitution, known as the Preamble, introduce the articles and amendments that follow.
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution's famous opening
The US Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in the world. Its drafting, often referred to as its framing, was completed at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia between May 25 and September 17, 1787. The famous opening of the US Constitution is as follows:
> We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
This opening statement, consisting of the famous first 52 words, sets the tone and outlines the fundamental principles that guided the drafting of the Constitution. It emphasizes the idea of a unified nation, with the phrase "We the People" signifying a collective endeavour to create a more ideal political union.
The Preamble's mention of "Justice," "domestic Tranquility," "common defence," "general Welfare," and "Blessings of Liberty" highlights the framers' intentions to establish a fair and peaceful society, protect citizens from external threats, promote the well-being of the population, and guarantee individual freedoms.
The opening also establishes the authority behind the Constitution, indicating that it is the people who are sovereign and who ordain and establish this governing document. This concept of popular sovereignty is a key tenet of American democracy, reflecting the belief that governmental power is derived from the consent of the governed.
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The drafting of the Constitution
The US Constitution, the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in the world, was drafted at the Constitutional Convention, which assembled at Independence Hall in Philadelphia between May 25 and September 17, 1787. The convention was attended by 55 delegates, chosen by their state legislatures, who received instructions from Congress to revise the failing Articles of Confederation.
The drafting process was not without its challenges and controversies. One of the major unresolved problems was the method of electing the executive. George Mason, a delegate, expressed concern that a "bill of rights", ensuring individual liberties, had not been included in the Constitution. He called for a new convention to reconsider the formation of a new government, but his motion was overwhelmingly voted down. Despite this, opponents of the Constitution continued to advocate for a new convention for over two years.
The Constitutional Convention witnessed passionate debates between Federalists and anti-Federalists. Newspapers across the country reprinted the positions of both sides, with anti-Federalist Samuel Bryan publishing the first of his "Centinel" essays in Philadelphia's Independent Gazetteer, criticising the sweeping power of the central government and the absence of a bill of rights.
The drafting process involved several committees and multiple drafts. The Committee of Detail, which included Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and Gouverneur Morris, worked on revising and condensing the articles of the Constitution. On August 6, 1787, Rutledge delivered a working draft of the proposed Constitution, which included a Preamble starting with "We the People of the States of New-Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode-Island", rather than the familiar "We the People of the United States".
The Committee on Style and Arrangement, chaired by Morris, further refined the document. On September 12, 1787, the committee completed its draft, and the final version was signed on September 17, 1787, by the delegates, establishing a new framework of government for the United States.
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The Constitutional Convention
The convention was initially intended to revise the Articles of Confederation and devise the first system of federal government. However, many of the leading proponents of the convention, including James Madison of Virginia and Alexander Hamilton of New York, sought to create a new frame of government rather than simply revise the existing one. Madison, who arrived in Philadelphia eleven days early, was determined to set the convention's agenda. He studied historical republics and confederacies and drafted a document titled "Vices of the Political System of the United States," which offered solutions to the weaknesses of the American political system.
The convention was presided over by George Washington, former commanding general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and a proponent of a stronger national government. The delegates to the convention, chosen by the state legislatures of 12 of the 13 original states (Rhode Island refused to send delegates), created a model of government that relied on a series of checks and balances by dividing federal authority into the legislative, judicial, and executive branches.
The convention debated and ratified the Constitution of the United States, making it one of the most significant events in American history. The Constitution that emerged established a federal government with more specific powers, including those related to conducting relations with foreign governments. The delegates quickly reached a consensus on a general blueprint of a federal government with three branches, as outlined in Madison's Virginia Plan, which was selected over William Paterson's New Jersey Plan.
The role of the executive was a highly debated topic, including the issues of whether executive power should be divided or vested in a single chief executive (the President), how a president would be elected, the length and number of presidential terms, what offenses should be impeachable, and whether judges should be chosen by the legislature or the executive. Slavery was also a contentious issue, with delegates debating the insertion of a fugitive slave clause, the potential abolition of the slave trade, and whether slaves should be counted in proportional representation.
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The Articles of Confederation
The final draft of the Articles of Confederation was completed on November 15, 1777, and submitted to the states for ratification in late November 1777. The Articles stipulated that ratification by all 13 states was necessary to set the Confederation into motion. Virginia was the first state to ratify on December 16, 1777, and by February 1779, 12 states had ratified the Articles. Maryland was the lone holdout, refusing to ratify until the landed states, especially Virginia, ceded their claims to lands west of the Ohio River to the Union. Maryland finally ratified the Articles on February 2, 1781, and Congress was informed of this assent on March 1, officially proclaiming the Articles of Confederation as the law of the land.
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The Bill of Rights
The US Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. The Bill of Rights is the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, proposed to address the objections raised by Anti-Federalists. James Madison wrote the amendments to limit government power and protect individual liberties.
The first ten amendments to the Constitution safeguard freedoms like speech, religion, and the right to bear arms, while ensuring protections such as due process and trial by jury. The amendments also include explicit declarations that all powers not specifically granted to the federal government by the Constitution are reserved for the states or the people.
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Frequently asked questions
The famous first 52 words of the US Constitution are known as the Preamble.
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
The Preamble introduces the articles and amendments that follow in the rest of the Constitution.
The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, and ratified on June 21, 1788.
