Omar Bennett
The United States Constitution, the country's supreme law, was written in 1787 in Philadelphia, in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall. The Constitutional Convention, also known as the Philadelphia Convention, was convened to draft the document, which was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 delegates, with George Reed signing on behalf of John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The process of writing the Constitution involved high-pressure debate and the cooperation of many important people, including Founding Fathers such as George Washington, who was unanimously voted president of the convention, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton. The Constitution was influenced by the study of the Magna Carta and other federations, both ancient and modern, as well as the ideas of Enlightenment philosophers such as Montesquieu and John Locke.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Time taken to write | Three months of debate |
| Location | Philadelphia, in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House |
| Date commenced | May 25, 1787 |
| Date completed | September 17, 1787 |
| Number of delegates | 55 |
| Number of states represented | 12 |
| Number of signatures | 39 |
| Number of amendments | 27 |
| Number of original articles | 7 |
| Number of states required for ratification | 9 |
| Date ratified | March 4, 1789 |
| Date of first amendment | June 21, 1788 |
| Date of first 10 amendments (Bill of Rights) | N/A |
| Date of US Declaration of Independence | 1776 |
| Date of Revolutionary War | 1775-1783 |
| Date of Articles of Confederation | 1777, ratified 1781 |
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What You'll Learn
The Philadelphia Convention
The Constitutional Convention was convened due to concerns about the Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution. The Articles gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it lacked enforcement powers, could not regulate commerce, and could not print money. Disputes among the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young nation apart.
Alexander Hamilton helped convince Congress to organize a Grand Convention of state delegates to revise the Articles. Fifty-five delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies attended the Constitutional Convention, including Founding Fathers such as George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. Washington was unanimously elected president of the convention, given his status as a war hero who had led the colonies to victory in the Revolutionary War.
The delegates engaged in heated debates over the course of three months, ultimately creating a new form of government rather than simply revising the existing one. They crafted compromises that balanced wildly different interests and views, resulting in a powerful central government that divided power between the federal government and the states. The final document was condensed from 23 articles to seven and signed by 38 delegates on September 17, 1787, with an additional signature added later, bringing the total to 39.
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The Articles of Confederation
The process of drafting the Articles of Confederation began with the Second Continental Congress, which appointed three committees in June 1776 to work on a Declaration of Independence, a model treaty, and the Articles of Confederation. Benjamin Franklin's proposal for the Articles was initially tabled due to opposition from some delegates, but the need for a national government after the Declaration of Independence became clear. The final draft of the Articles, named the "Dickinson Draft", was completed on November 15, 1777, and consisted of six sheets of parchment stitched together. It established a unicameral legislature with limited powers, guaranteed each state's sovereignty, and outlined a Congress with one vote per state, regardless of population.
The Articles were submitted to the states for ratification in late November 1777, with Virginia becoming the first state to ratify on December 16, 1777. By February 1779, 12 states had ratified the Articles, but Maryland refused to go along until other states ceded their western land claims. Maryland finally ratified the Articles on February 2, 1781, and Congress proclaimed them the law of the land on March 1, 1781.
However, the Articles of Confederation soon proved inadequate in governing the growing nation. The central government lacked the power to effectively regulate commerce, tax, or support a war effort. Disputes between states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the country apart. As a result, a Constitutional Convention was assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787 to revise the Articles. The resulting Constitution, signed on September 17, 1787, introduced a completely new form of government, with a more powerful central government and a system of checks and balances to ensure no single branch had too much power. The Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation on March 4, 1789, becoming the supreme law of the land.
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Ratification
First, it's important to note that the Constitution was written and signed in 1787, and it was during this time that the ratification process began. The Constitution was drafted by 55 delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies at the Constitutional Convention, also known as the Philadelphia Convention, which convened from May 25 to September 17, 1787. George Washington, a Founding Father and war hero, was unanimously elected to preside over the Convention.
Within three days of its signing, the Constitution was submitted to the Congress of the Confederation in New York City, the nation's temporary capital. Despite having the power to reject it, the members of Congress voted unanimously on September 28 to forward the proposal to the 13 states for their ratification.
The process outlined in Article VII of the proposed Constitution dictated that special ratifying conventions, or "Federal Conventions," be held in each state to ratify the document. This bypassed the state legislatures, as the founders recognized that their members would be reluctant to give up power to a national government. This also ignored the amendment provision of the Articles of Confederation, which required unanimous approval of all the states. Instead, Article VII required ratification by just nine of the 13 states, or a two-thirds majority.
The ratification campaign was intense, with Federalists and Anti-Federalists battling it out. Federalists supported a strong central government, while Anti-Federalists opposed it, having just overthrown a similar form of government and concerned about a lack of a bill of rights. The tide turned in Massachusetts, where a "vote now, amend later" compromise helped secure victory, eventually leading to the required number of states ratifying the document.
On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify, and the Confederation Congress established March 4, 1789, as the date to begin operating under the new government and Constitution. This marked the start of the Constitution's operational phase, and it superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution. The Constitution has since been amended 27 times, with amendments continuously proposed to ensure it remains relevant and responsive to the needs of U.S. citizens.
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Separation of Powers
The US Constitution was written following the American Revolutionary War, which lasted from 1775 to 1783. The 13 colonies fought for their right to self-governance, winning their freedom from the British Empire. The war popularised the idea of a government that serves the people.
The US Constitution was also a response to the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution. The Articles gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it had no enforcement powers, couldn't regulate commerce, print money, or tax. This led to disputes between the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening to tear the young nation apart.
Nationalists, led by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, recognised the need for a stronger central government. In 1786, Madison and Hamilton issued a report calling upon Congress to summon delegates from all the states to meet and discuss these issues. The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787, with 55 delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies in attendance.
The delegates debated for three months, eventually drafting a completely new form of government. The final document was condensed from 23 to seven articles and signed by 39 delegates on September 17, 1787. The Constitution was then submitted to the Congress of the Confederation in New York City.
The Constitution's first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, dividing the federal government into three branches: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. The legislative branch, consisting of the bicameral Congress (Article I), makes the laws. The executive branch, consisting of the president and subordinate officers (Article II), executes the laws. The judicial branch, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts (Article III), interprets the laws.
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Amendments
The US Constitution has been amended 27 times since it became operational in 1789. Amendments to the US Constitution are appended to the document, unlike amendments to many constitutions worldwide. The first ten amendments, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, offer specific protections of individual liberty and justice and restrict government powers within US states. The majority of the 17 later amendments expand individual civil rights protections, while others address issues related to federal authority or modify government processes and procedures.
The US Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation, which was the nation's first constitution. The Articles of Confederation had created a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak central government, leaving most of the power with state governments. The Articles gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it had no enforcement powers, could not regulate commerce, print money, or tax.
The US Constitution, on the other hand, separates the powers of government into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. It sets up a system of checks and balances to ensure no one branch has too much power. The legislative branch, consisting of the bicameral Congress, makes the laws; the executive branch, consisting of the president and subordinate officers, executes the laws; and the judicial branch, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts, interprets the laws.
The process of amending the US Constitution is outlined in Article V, which requires that any amendment be ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures or by conventions in three-fourths of the states. This process ensures that any changes to the Constitution reflect the consensus of the American people and protects the document's integrity.
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitution was written following the American Revolutionary War, in which the 13 colonies fought for their right to self-governance. The British Empire had attempted to tax the American colonies without sufficiently representing their interests in government. Disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart.
The United States Constitution was written by 38 delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies, including Founding Fathers George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton. James Madison and Alexander Hamilton were instrumental in convincing Congress to organize a Grand Convention of state delegates to work on revising the Articles of Confederation.
The Constitutional Convention, known as the Philadelphia Convention, was held in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall) in Philadelphia. The delegates debated for three months, then appointed a Committee of Detail to put its decisions in writing. A Committee of Style and Arrangement condensed 23 articles into seven in less than four days. On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution, and it was submitted to the Congress of the Confederation in New York City.
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