Jonah Patel
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 did not send any delegates), endorsed the Constitution. The final document, engrossed by Jacob Shallus, was a compromise addressing contentious issues such as congressional representation and slavery. The Constitution was then sent to the states for debate and ratification votes. While there are no exact population figures from this time, estimates place the population of the 13 states at approximately four million people.
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution was signed by 39 delegates
The 39 delegates represented 12 states, as Rhode Island declined to send representatives. Of the 74 delegates chosen, 55 attended, and several left before the signing ceremony. Three of the 42 who remained refused to sign, including Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, George Mason of Virginia, and Randolph. The youngest signer was 26-year-old Jonathan Dayton, while Benjamin Franklin, at 81, was the oldest.
The delegates who signed the Constitution had diverse backgrounds and experiences. Virtually all of them had taken part in the American Revolution, with at least 29 having served in the Continental forces, most of them in positions of command. Additionally, seven had signed the Declaration of Independence, and 30 had served on active military duty. They represented a cross-section of 18th-century American leadership, with experience in local, colonial, and state governments.
The creation of the US Constitution was a complex and contentious process, with fierce arguments over issues such as congressional representation and slavery. The delegates had to navigate sharp disagreements and find compromises to address the needs of the 13 states, which had a population of approximately four million people at the time. The final document expanded the power of the central government while protecting the prerogatives of the states.
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The population of the 13 colonies was estimated at 4 million
The population of the 13 colonies was a significant factor in the constitution-making process. The Virginia delegates, representing a colony with about 20% of the total population, demanded more votes than smaller colonies during the First Continental Congress in 1774. However, they were outvoted as the delegates insisted on representing colonies rather than people. The question of congressional representation was a fierce point of contention, with delegates debating whether it should be based on population or divided equally among the states.
The framers of the Constitution eventually compromised by assigning each state one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate. This compromise aimed to balance the interests of larger and smaller states. The Constitution also addressed the contentious issue of slavery, with delegates agreeing to count enslaved Africans as three-fifths of a person, and allowing the slave trade to continue until 1808.
The population estimates at the time were scattered and partial, and the actual numbers used for representation in the first House of Representatives are not known. The Constitution provided for a national census every ten years, with reapportionment of the House of Representatives after each census. This allowed for more accurate population data and representation in the government.
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The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This event occurred after a four-month-long Constitutional Convention, during which the document was drafted. The signing of the Constitution created a powerful central government, addressing the concerns of the Federalists, who believed that a strong central government was necessary to address the nation's challenges.
The final document was engrossed by Jacob Shallus and was met with disappointment by several delegates, who believed that the numerous compromises contained within had impaired its quality. Despite this, 39 of the 55 delegates endorsed the Constitution, with George Reed signing on behalf of John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total to 39 signatures. The remaining delegates either left before the signing or refused to sign. The youngest signer was 26-year-old Jonathan Dayton, while Benjamin Franklin, at 81 years old, was the oldest.
The Constitution addressed issues such as congressional representation, slavery, and the powers of the central government. The framers compromised on representation by granting each state one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate. They also agreed to count enslaved Africans as three-fifths of a person, postponing the debate on slavery until 1808.
The Constitution was designed to meet the immediate needs of the thirteen states, which had a population of approximately four million people at the time. It established a framework for the nation's federal government, outlining the functions of its three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The Constitution also set the terms for its ratification, bypassing state legislatures and calling for special ratifying conventions in each state. The Constitution became the official framework of the US government on June 21, 1788, when the required nine out of thirteen states ratified it.
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The Constitutional Convention had 74 attendees
The United States Constitution, signed on September 17, 1787, is one of the most significant events in American history. The Constitutional Convention, held in Philadelphia from May 25 to September 17, 1787, was attended by 74 delegates, with 55 in attendance and 39 signing the document. The delegates represented 12 of the 13 states, as Rhode Island refused to send a delegation.
The Constitutional Convention was a pivotal moment in the early history of the United States, as it addressed the flaws in the Articles of Confederation, which was America's first constitution. The Articles of Confederation had granted the Confederation Congress rule-making and funding request powers, but it lacked enforcement authority and could not regulate commerce or print money. The delegates to the convention, led by individuals such as James Madison of Virginia and Alexander Hamilton of New York, sought to create a new framework of government rather than revise the existing one.
The convention debated and ratified the Constitution of the United States, with the delegates recognising that a significant weakness of the Articles of Confederation was that any constitutional amendment required unanimous approval from the states. The delegates agreed to a compromise on congressional representation, deciding that it should be based on population, with each state receiving one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate.
The issue of slavery threatened to derail the convention, but a temporary resolution was reached, with delegates agreeing that the slave trade could continue until 1808 and that enslaved Africans would be counted as three-fifths of a person for representation purposes. The delegates who signed the Constitution, ranging in age from 26 to 81, acknowledged that it was not perfect but hoped that it would meet the immediate needs of the thirteen states, which had a population of approximately four million people.
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The Constitution was signed at Independence Hall, Philadelphia
The signing of the United States Constitution occurred on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Independence Hall was then known as the Pennsylvania State House. It was the same place where the Declaration of Independence was signed eleven years earlier, in 1776.
The Constitutional Convention, which took place from May 25 to September 17, 1787, was a four-month-long convention that aimed to revise the existing government. The delegates, however, ended up creating a new form of republican government to replace the weak central government established by the Articles of Confederation. The convention featured many great minds of the day, including James Madison, James Wilson, Gouverneur Morris, George Washington, and, for a while, Alexander Hamilton. Benjamin Franklin, at 81 years old, was the oldest delegate and the one who made the final motion to sign the document.
The Constitution was signed by 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention, representing 12 states (all but Rhode Island, which declined to send delegates). The endorsement included signatures, a declaration of the delegates' successful completion of their work, and a statement of the document's adoption by the states present. The convention's secretary, William Jackson, added a note to verify four amendments made to the final document and signed it to authenticate its validity.
The original signed, handwritten Constitution is now at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. It serves as a fundamental framework for America's system of government, separating powers into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. It also sets up a system of checks and balances to ensure no branch has too much power.
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Frequently asked questions
The population of America when the Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, was approximately four million.
39 delegates signed the Constitution, representing 12 of the 13 states (Rhode Island did not send delegates).
The signing of the Constitution created a powerful central government and laid out the framework for the nation's federal government, outlining how its three branches (legislative, executive, and judicial) would function.
