Jonah Patel
The first constitution in the American colonies, the Fundamental Orders, was adopted in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1639 by representatives of Wethersfield, Windsor, and Hartford. It was the first written constitution in the world to declare the modern idea that the foundation of authority is in the free consent of the people. However, the Fundamental Orders were superseded by the Charter of Connecticut in 1662. The Articles of Confederation, adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, served as the first constitution of the United States. The present-day US Constitution went into effect in 1789.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Articles of Confederation |
| Date Adopted | November 15, 1777 |
| Date in Force | March 1, 1781 |
| Date Superseded | 1789 |
| Number of States at Adoption | 13 |
| Principal Writer | John Dickinson, delegate from Delaware |
| Purpose | To determine the form of confederation of the colonies |
| Basis for Naming the Confederation | "The United States of America" |
| Number of Sheets | Six |
| Signatories | Delegates from all 13 states |
| Military Appointments | Officers below the rank of colonel to be appointed by the legislature of each state |
| Basis | Charters, letters-patent, instructions for colonists, covenants, compacts, agreements, ordinances, codes, and oaths |
| First Colony Established | Virginia, 1607 |
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What You'll Learn
- The Articles of Confederation were the first constitution of the United States
- The Fundamental Orders were the first constitution in the American colonies
- The Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation in 1777
- The 13 colonies had separate political, constitutional, and legal systems
- The first of the 13 colonies, Virginia, was established in 1607
The Articles of Confederation were the first constitution of the United States
The Articles of Confederation, adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, served as the first constitution of the United States. It was in force from March 1, 1781, until 1789 when the present-day Constitution went into effect. The document, consisting of six sheets of parchment stitched together, was signed by delegates from all 13 states.
The Articles of Confederation were drafted by a committee of one representative from each colony, with John Dickinson, a delegate from Delaware, as the principal writer. The Dickinson Draft named the confederation "the United States of America". The document underwent considerable debate and revision before its adoption by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777.
The Articles of Confederation served as the first written constitution for the 13 colonies, which had previously operated under separate political, constitutional, and legal systems. The colonies were individually administered under the Crown, but shared similarities, including being dominated by Protestant English speakers. The first of the 13 colonies, Virginia, was established at Jamestown in 1607. The other colonies were established over time, with Georgia becoming the last of the original 13 states in 1732.
The adoption of the Articles of Confederation marked a significant step towards unifying the 13 colonies and establishing a central governing body. It set out the rights and principles that would guide the newly formed nation, including the idea that the foundation of authority lies in the free consent of the people. This concept, first introduced in the "'Fundamental Orders' of Connecticut in 1639, would become a cornerstone of American democracy.
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The Fundamental Orders were the first constitution in the American colonies
On January 14, 1639, the "Fundamental Orders" served as the first constitution in the American colonies. It was adopted by representatives of Wethersfield, Windsor, and Hartford in Hartford, Connecticut. The Fundamental Orders were written primarily by Roger Ludlow, a lawyer, and presented a unified government for the new colony. The document emphasised the welfare of the community and established the modern notion that "the foundation of authority is in the free consent of the people."
The Fundamental Orders outlined the government structure and powers of the Connecticut River towns. It assigned supreme authority in the colony to the elected general court, notably omitting any mention of the authority of the British Crown or other external powers. The document also included 11 orders that detailed rules for scheduling meetings, holding elections by free men using secret ballots, and granting the governor and six elected magistrates the authority to administer justice. Additionally, each town was required to elect four "deputies" to form a legislative branch, and the emerging colony was given the power to tax.
The Fundamental Orders were considered by some authors to be the first written constitution in the Western tradition. Connecticut earned the nickname "The Constitution State" as a result. The Fundamental Orders were eventually superseded by the Charter of Connecticut in 1662, which largely preserved the self-governance established by the Fundamental Orders.
While the Fundamental Orders are regarded as the first constitution in the American colonies, it is important to note that some historians dispute this claim, citing the Mayflower Compact as an earlier example of a written constitution. Nonetheless, the Fundamental Orders played a significant role in shaping early constitutional government in Connecticut and influencing the ideas that led to the creation of the US Constitution.
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The Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation in 1777
The first constitution in the American colonies was the "Fundamental Orders", adopted in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1639. It was written by Roger Ludlow, a lawyer, and established a unified government for the new colony. This was the first written constitution in the world to declare that "the foundation of authority is in the free consent of the people".
The Articles of Confederation were adopted on November 15, 1777, after considerable debate and revision. The final document consisted of six sheets of parchment stitched together, with the last sheet bearing the signatures of delegates from all 13 states. The Articles of Confederation went into force on March 1, 1781, and remained in effect until 1789 when the present-day Constitution was ratified.
The early state constitutions, adopted in 1776, can be viewed as organic acts, as they summarised and codified the political evolution of the colonists over the previous 150 years. The colonists were accustomed to having a written document defining the context of their politics, which could be altered through a political process. This was due to the nature of their charter, which allowed them to design their own political institutions and practice self-government.
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The 13 colonies had separate political, constitutional, and legal systems
The 13 colonies were separately administered under the Crown, but they had similar political, constitutional, and legal systems. Each colony was dominated by Protestant English-speakers. The first of the colonies, Virginia, was established at Jamestown in 1607. The population of the 13 colonies grew from 2,000 in 1625 to 2.4 million in 1775, largely displacing the region's Native Americans. The population included people subject to a system of slavery, which was legal in all of the colonies.
The 13 colonies had a degree of self-governance and active local elections, and they resisted London's demands for more control over them. The colonies began collaborating with one another instead of dealing directly with Britain. With the help of colonial printers and newspapers, these inter-colonial activities and concerns were shared and led to calls for protection of the colonists' "Rights as Englishmen", especially the principle of "no taxation without representation". The 13 colonies had no hereditary aristocrats as in Europe. There were no rich gentry who owned all the farmland and rented it out to tenants. Instead, there was a political system of local control that was governed by men elected in fair elections. Any property owner could vote for members of the lower house of the legislature. Governors were appointed in London but colonists elected the governor in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Women, children, indentured servants, and slaves were subsumed under the interest of the family head and did not have a vote or a voice. Indians and free blacks were politically outside the system and usually could not vote. New York and Rhode Island developed long-lasting two-faction systems that held together for years at the colony level, but they did not reach into local affairs. The factions were based on the personalities of a few leaders and an array of family connections, and they had little basis in policy or ideology.
In no colony was there universal suffrage; the vote was restricted to free male subjects of a certain wealth measured by the amount of property or extent of taxes paid, excluding the working classes, women, the enslaved, and Native Americans from voting. Moreover, colonies, as in Britain, had varying religious tests for participation in government.
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The first of the 13 colonies, Virginia, was established in 1607
The colonial period in Virginia lasted until 1776 when the establishment of the Commonwealth of Virginia brought it to a close. The Virginia Company's charter was revoked by King James I in 1624, and the Virginia Colony was transferred to royal authority as a crown colony. The colony experienced its first significant political turmoil with Bacon's Rebellion in 1676.
The first constitution in the American colonies was adopted in 1639 in Hartford, Connecticut. The "Fundamental Orders" were adopted by representatives of Wethersfield, Windsor, and Hartford. The document was written by Roger Ludlow, a lawyer, and it put the welfare of the community above that of individuals. It was also the first written constitution in the world to declare that the foundation of authority is in the free consent of the people.
The Articles of Confederation, adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, served as the first constitution of the United States.
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Frequently asked questions
The first constitution adopted by the 13 colonies was the Articles of Confederation, which came into effect on March 1, 1781.
The present-day US Constitution came into effect in 1789.
Delaware was the first state to ratify the new Constitution on December 7, 1787.
