Simone Lawson
The US Constitution, written in 1787, is the world's longest-surviving written constitution. The US has been governed by a single framework of government for over two centuries. The Founding Fathers intended the document to be flexible to accommodate the changing needs and circumstances of the country. The Constitution's original text and all prior amendments remain untouched. The US Constitution has 27 amendments, with the last one being added in 1992.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of signing | 17 September 1787 |
| Date of submission to Congress | 17 September 1787 |
| Date of ratification | 28 September 1787 |
| Number of amendments | 27 |
| Number of amendments ratified by states | 17 |
| Number of amendments passed by Congress | 23 |
| Number of articles | 7 |
| Oldest written national framework of government in the world | Yes |
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution is the world's longest surviving written constitution
The US Constitution, written in 1787 and ratified in 1789, is the world's longest surviving written constitution. It has survived civil war, economic depressions, assassinations, and terrorist attacks, and has served as a model for freedom-loving people worldwide. The US Constitution created a system of checks and balances and three independent branches of government: the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
While the US Constitution is the world's longest surviving written national constitution, it has not remained entirely unchanged. The Founding Fathers intended the document to be flexible to accommodate the changing needs and circumstances of the country. Since the Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791, Congress has passed 23 additional amendments, and the states have ratified only 17 of them. For instance, the 12th Amendment, ratified in 1804, mandated that electors vote separately for the president and vice president. The 16th Amendment, passed in 1913, gave the government the power to collect income tax, reversing the prohibition against a "direct tax" included in Article I of the Constitution.
Beyond these formal amendments, the interpretation and implementation of the Constitution have evolved over time. For example, the role of the Supreme Court was initially vague, but John Marshall, the nation's fourth chief justice, established the power of the Court by asserting its right to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional in the landmark case of Marbury v. Madison in 1803. The Constitution has also been influenced by political parties, which are not mentioned in the document but have become an integral part of the American political system.
The endurance of the US Constitution depends on the knowledge and experience of each succeeding generation of Americans. To promote a better understanding of the Constitution, Congress established Constitution Week, starting each year on September 17, the date in 1787 when the delegates signed the document.
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The Founding Fathers intended the document to be flexible
The US Constitution, written in 1787, is the world's longest-surviving written constitution. It has been governed by a single framework of government for over two centuries. The Founding Fathers intended the document to be flexible to accommodate the changing needs and circumstances of the country. Edmund Randolph, one of the five men tasked with drafting the Constitution, stated that the goal was to "insert essential principles only, lest the operations of government should be clogged by rendering those provisions permanent and unalterable, which ought to be accommodated to times and events."
The Founding Fathers preferred that the Constitution be interpreted as it was written and that any changes be made through legislation and amendments rather than through the courts. They believed that the judicial branch should be the least flexible and most constant, focusing on interpretation rather than action. The legislative branch is where changes are supposed to be decided, and the executive branch is where they are supposed to be enacted.
The US Constitution has transformed in critical ways through amendments and legal rulings. The Bill of Rights, adopted in 1791, was the first 10 amendments to the Constitution and defined citizens' and states' rights in relation to the government. Since then, Congress has passed 23 additional amendments, and the states have ratified 17 of them. Many changes in the American political and legal system have also come through judicial interpretation of existing laws rather than the addition of new ones.
One of the biggest early criticisms of the Constitution was that it did not do enough to protect individuals' rights against infringement by the central government. James Madison drafted a list of rights for citizens, including freedom of religion, speech, and the press, the right to bear arms, the right to a trial by jury, and freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. The 12th Amendment, ratified in 1804, addressed a potential constitutional crisis by mandating that electors vote separately for president and vice president. The 16th Amendment, passed in 1913, gave the government the power to collect income tax, reversing the prohibition against a "direct tax" in Article I. The 22nd Amendment limited presidents to two terms in office, but the expansion of executive power has continued.
While the basic framework of the US government has remained unchanged, the country itself has been radically transformed over the past two centuries. The population has grown from 4 million to 300 million, and the federal budget has increased from $4 million to over $1 trillion. Political parties, not mentioned in the Constitution, have become an integral part of the political system. The Supreme Court has also taken an increasingly active role in interpreting the laws and actions of the legislative and executive branches, ensuring they abide by the Constitution.
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The US Constitution created a system of checks and balances
The US Constitution is the world's longest-surviving written constitution. It has served as a model for freedom-loving people globally, and the basic framework of the US government has remained unchanged for over two centuries. The US Constitution created a system of checks and balances, dividing the federal government into three independent branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. This separation of powers ensures that no individual or group can accumulate too much power.
The legislative branch, comprising Congress (the Senate and House of Representatives), is responsible for making laws. However, the President, who heads the executive branch, can veto these laws. The executive branch also includes federal agencies responsible for enforcing federal laws and is led by the President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The judicial branch, including the Supreme Court, can declare acts of Congress unconstitutional. John Marshall, the fourth chief justice, established the power of the Court in the landmark case of Marbury v. Madison (1803).
The system of checks and balances allows each branch to influence and respond to the actions of the others. For example, while the President nominates the heads of federal agencies and high court appointees, these nominations must be confirmed by Congress. Congress can also remove the President from office in exceptional circumstances. The Justices of the Supreme Court, once appointed, can overturn unconstitutional laws.
The US Constitution has been amended several times to address changing needs and circumstances. The Bill of Rights, drafted by James Madison, was adopted in 1791 to protect citizens' rights. Since then, Congress has passed 23 additional amendments, 17 of which have been ratified by the states. Notable amendments include the 12th Amendment, which mandated separate votes for President and Vice President, and the 13th and 14th Amendments, which abolished slavery and granted citizenship to African Americans, respectively.
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The US Constitution has 27 amendments
The US Constitution is the world's longest-surviving written constitution, created in 1787 and ratified in 1788. It has served as a model for freedom-loving people worldwide. The Founding Fathers intended the document to be flexible to accommodate changing needs and circumstances.
The Constitution has 27 amendments, with the first 10 known as the Bill of Rights, which was ratified in 1791. These amendments were designed to protect citizens' rights against the nation's new central government. They include freedom of religion, speech, and the press, the right to bear arms, the right to a trial by jury, and freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures.
The 12th Amendment, ratified in 1804, addressed a potential constitutional crisis by mandating that electors vote separately for president and vice president. The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, known as the Reconstruction Amendments, abolished slavery, extended citizenship to African Americans, and granted them voting rights. The 16th Amendment, ratified in 1913, gave the government the power to collect income tax.
The process of amending the Constitution involves proposals by Congress or a national convention, followed by ratification by the requisite number of states. While there have been thousands of proposals, only a small fraction has become part of the Constitution. The last amendment, the 27th, states that no law can change the compensation for senators and representatives until after an election of representatives has taken place.
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The US has been governed by a single framework for over two centuries
The US Constitution, written in 1787, is the world's longest-surviving written constitution. The US has been governed by a single framework for over two centuries, despite radical transformations in the country. The population has soared from 4 million to 300 million, and the federal budget has risen from $4 million in 1790 to over $1 trillion today.
The Founding Fathers intended the document to be flexible to fit the changing needs and circumstances of the country. Since the Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791, Congress has passed 23 additional amendments to the Constitution, and the states have ratified 17 of them. The first ten amendments are collectively known as the Bill of Rights, and amendments 13–15 are known as the Reconstruction Amendments. The Reconstruction Amendments were passed after the Civil War to abolish slavery, extend the status of citizens to African Americans, and grant African American men the right to vote.
The US Constitution has also been changed through judicial interpretation. The fourth chief justice, John Marshall, established the power of the Supreme Court by asserting its right to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional. The Supreme Court has since taken an increasingly active role in interpreting the laws and actions of the other two branches of government.
While the basic framework of the US government has remained unchanged, political parties, which are not mentioned in the Constitution, have become an integral part of the political system.
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