Jonah Patel
The Constitution of the United States is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. The US Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. The US Constitution is composed of the Preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments, with the first 10 amendments known as the Bill of Rights. The original US Constitution was handwritten on five pages of parchment by Jacob Shallus and is on display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum.
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution
The first three articles embody the doctrine of separation of powers, in which the federal government is divided into three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress (Article I); the executive, consisting of the president and subordinate officers (Article II); and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts (Article III). Article IV, Article V, and Article VI embody concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments, the states in relation to the federal government, and the shared process of constitutional amendment.
The drafting of the Constitution, often referred to as its framing, was completed at the Constitutional Convention, which assembled at Independence Hall in Philadelphia between May 25 and September 17, 1787. Delegates to the convention were chosen by the state legislatures of 12 of the 13 original states; Rhode Island refused to send delegates. The convention's initial mandate was limited to amending the Articles of Confederation, which had proven highly ineffective in meeting the young nation's needs. Almost immediately, however, delegates began considering measures to replace the Articles.
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The first constitution: Articles of Confederation
The United States Constitution, which came into force in 1789, superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution. The Articles of Confederation united a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures under America's first national government. The states, however, only acted together for specific purposes.
The Articles of Confederation were drafted to establish the nation's first national government following the American Revolution. The Articles created a national government with limited powers, including the ability to declare war, sign treaties, and maintain an army. The Articles also established a unicameral legislature, the Confederation Congress, where each state had one vote, regardless of its size or population.
The Articles of Confederation were ineffective in meeting the young nation's needs, and the Constitution of the United States replaced them. The Constitution united its citizens as members of a whole, vesting the power of the union in the people. The Constitution's first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, dividing the federal government into three branches: the legislative, consisting of a bicameral Congress (Article I); the executive, consisting of the President and subordinate officers (Article II); and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts (Article III).
The remaining articles of the Constitution (Articles IV, V, and VI) outline concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments, the states' relationship to the federal government, and the shared process of constitutional amendment. The Constitution also included a Preamble and has since been amended 27 times, with the first ten amendments collectively known as the Bill of Rights.
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The Bill of Rights
The Constitution of the United States is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. The first ten amendments to the Constitution constitute the Bill of Rights.
James Madison wrote the amendments to limit government power and protect individual liberties through the Constitution. Madison, initially an opponent of a Bill of Rights, later proposed amendments that included extending the protection of some of the Bill of Rights to the states. However, the amendments that were finally submitted for ratification applied only to the federal government. The first ten amendments offer specific protections of individual liberty and justice and place restrictions on the powers of the government within the U.S. states.
- Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
- Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.
- The right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
- The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
- No Soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner.
- The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated.
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The Constitution's author: Jacob Shallus
The United States Constitution, the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force, was handwritten by Jacob Shallus. Shallus was a merchant in Philadelphia and the son of German immigrants. His father, Valentine Schallus, was an innkeeper who immigrated to Pennsylvania from the Palatine region in 1747, and his mother was Frederica Catherina. Shallus had a brother named Thomas, who worked as a mapmaker.
Shallus fought in the Revolutionary War, serving as a quartermaster of Pennsylvania's 1st Battalion in Canada. He also assisted in the outfitting of a privateering vessel, the Retrieve. After the war, in 1783, he was appointed assistant clerk of the Pennsylvania Assembly. During the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Shallus served as Assistant Clerk to the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
On September 15, 1787, the delegates of the Constitutional Convention approved the final draft of the Constitution and ordered it to be engrossed on parchment. Shallus was tasked with transcribing the Constitution, which he completed on September 16, 1787, writing over 25,000 letters in nearly 4,500 words using a goose quill and black ink. The original document, inscribed by Shallus, is on display in the Rotunda of the Charters of Freedom at the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.
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The oldest written constitution: San Marino, 1600
The Constitution of the United States is the oldest and longest-standing national constitution in force in the world. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789, and has since been amended 27 times.
However, the Constitution of the United States was not the first written constitution. The Constitution of San Marino, effective from October 8, 1600, is considered the oldest written constitution globally. The current legal system of San Marino is based on this constitution, which is why it is often regarded as the world's oldest. The Constitution of San Marino is distributed over several legislative instruments, notably the Statutes of 1600 and the Declaration of Citizen Rights of 1974, as amended in 2002. The 1600 Statutes, also known as the Statuta Decreta ac Ordinamenta Illustris Reipublicae ac Perpetuae Libertatis Terrae Sancti Marini in Latin, were written by Camillo Bonelli. They were written in Latin and compiled into six books, covering the institutions and practices of the Sammarinese government and justice system. The 1974 Declaration of Citizen Rights, also referred to as the Fundamental Law of the Republic, includes a repudiation of war, a statement of popular sovereignty, and an explanation of the separation of powers.
It is worth noting that the United States Constitution is generally considered the oldest constitution globally, as not all of the San Marino Constitution is compiled into a single document, the common definition of a constitution. Additionally, the Corsican Constitution of 1755, drafted by Pasquale Paoli, was the first written constitution of an independent polity adopted by representatives elected by the people, although it was short-lived.
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitution of the United States of America.
The original U.S. Constitution was handwritten on five pages of parchment by Jacob Shallus.
The Constitution of San Marino, from 1600, is the oldest surviving constitution in the world.
The first written constitution of an independent polity was the 1755 Corsican Constitution, drafted by Pasquale Paoli.
