Jonah Patel
In 1787, the United States Constitution was written and signed by 38 of 41 delegates present at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The convention was held to address the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation, which had been ratified in 1781 and provided for a loose confederation of US states. The Constitution established a stronger federal government with three branches—executive, legislative, and judicial—along with a system of checks and balances to ensure no single branch held too much power. It was ratified by nine of the original 13 states a year later and has since been amended and expanded to fit the changing needs of the country.
Explore related products
$11.29 $19.99
What You'll Learn
The US Constitution was signed
The US Constitution was a group effort, with the bulk of the document credited to a single Founding Father. The Founding Fathers intended the document to be flexible to fit the changing needs and circumstances of the country. The Constitution was written to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, which was the first governing document of the United States. Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government was weak, and states operated with a large degree of independence.
The delegates at the Constitutional Convention were tasked with amending the Articles of Confederation. However, they soon began discussing proposals for an entirely new form of government. After intense debates throughout the summer of 1787, the delegates developed a plan for a stronger federal government with three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. A system of checks and balances was also established to ensure that no single branch held too much power.
Among the more contentious issues debated by the delegates were state representation in the national legislature and slavery. The question of slavery was left to be decided by individual states, and enslaved people were counted as three-fifths of a person for taxation and representation purposes. The US Constitution was ratified by nine of the original 13 states in 1788, and it came into effect on March 4, 1789.
Founding Fathers' Intent: The Constitution's Purpose
You may want to see also
The Constitution was written by partisans
The United States Constitution, written in 1787, is the world's longest-surviving written constitution. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 of the 41 delegates present at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Constitution was a group effort of some of the country's greatest minds, but the bulk of the document can be credited to a single Founding Father.
The Founding Fathers intended the document to be flexible to fit the changing needs and circumstances of the country. The Constitution was written by partisans, wealthy lawyers, and successful merchants, all of whom were white and male. Nearly 40% of the framers, including George Washington and James Madison, enslaved other human beings.
The delegates were tasked by Congress with amending the Articles of Confederation, but they soon began debating proposals for an entirely new form of government. After an intensive debate that continued throughout the summer of 1787, they developed a plan that established three branches of national government: executive, legislative, and judicial. A system of checks and balances was put in place to ensure that no single branch held too much power.
The Constitution was written to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, which had established a weak national government with limited authority. The Constitution established a stronger federal government with three branches and a system of checks and balances. The specific powers and responsibilities of each branch were laid out in the Constitution.
One of the early criticisms of the Constitution was that it did not adequately protect the rights of individuals against the new central government. To address this, James Madison drafted a list of rights, known as the Bill of Rights, which included 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 Constitution's Font: A Historical Perspective
You may want to see also
The Constitution was flexible
The US Constitution, written in 1787, is the world's longest-surviving written constitution. The Founding Fathers intended the document to be flexible to meet the changing needs of the country. Virginia delegate 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 Constitution has indeed proven to be flexible, with Congress passing 23 additional amendments and the states ratifying 17 of them since the Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791. Beyond these formal amendments, the Constitution has also been interpreted and applied in different ways over time, leading to significant changes in the American political and legal system.
One example of the Constitution's flexibility is the issue of slavery. At the time of its drafting, the Constitution did not address slavery directly, leaving it as an issue for individual states to decide. However, the Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for taxation and representation purposes, was a concession to southern states. This compromise was later superseded by the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery, and the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the United States.
Another example of the Constitution's flexibility is the evolution of federalism. At the time of its drafting, individual state governments were more powerful than the central government. However, over time, the federal government expanded its powers and took on a more dominant role. Supreme Court decisions, such as McCulloch v. Maryland (1823), affirmed the federal government's right to take actions "necessary and proper" to meet the nation's urgent needs, shifting the balance of power towards the central government.
The Constitution has also been flexible in addressing criticisms and protecting individual rights. For example, James Madison drafted the Bill of Rights to address concerns that the Constitution did not do enough to protect citizens' rights from infringement by the central government. The 12th Amendment, ratified in 1804, addressed a potential constitutional crisis by mandating that electors vote separately for president and vice president.
The Written Constitution's Core Function: Law and Order
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The Constitution was ratified by nine of the original 13 states
The US Constitution, written in 1787, was ratified by nine of the original 13 states a year later. This made it the law of the land, replacing the Articles of Confederation, which had been ratified in 1781. The Articles of Confederation provided for a loose confederation of US states, which were sovereign in most of their affairs. However, by 1786, it was clear that the Union was in danger of breaking up if the Articles of Confederation were not amended or replaced.
The Constitutional Convention, which began on May 25, 1787, in Philadelphia, was convened to address these issues. The delegates, including George Washington and James Madison, were tasked with amending the Articles of Confederation. However, they soon began debating proposals for an entirely new form of government. After a summer of intensive debate, they developed a plan for a stronger federal government with three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. A system of checks and balances was also put in place to ensure that no single branch held too much power.
The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 of the 41 delegates present. However, it would not become binding until it was ratified by nine of the 13 states, as dictated by Article VII. The battle for ratification was not easy, with several states, especially Massachusetts, opposing the document due to its lack of protection for states' rights and individual freedoms. A compromise was reached in February 1788, and the Constitution was ratified by the required nine states, with New Hampshire becoming the ninth state to do so on June 21, 1788.
The US Constitution has been the world's longest-surviving written constitution, demonstrating the Founding Fathers' intention for it to be flexible and adaptable to the nation's changing needs.
The Written Constitution: Documenting America's Founding Principles
You may want to see also
The Constitution was amended
The US Constitution, the country's first governing document, was signed on September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Constitution has since been amended 27 times, including the first ten amendments, which were adopted in 1791 as the Bill of Rights.
The process of amending the Constitution is intentionally difficult and time-consuming. A proposed amendment must be passed by two-thirds of both houses of Congress and then ratified by the states. The amendments that have been made include those that gave women the right to vote, enacted and later repealed Prohibition, abolished poll taxes, and lowered the minimum voting age from 21 to 18.
The delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia were tasked with amending the Articles of Confederation, the existing governing document. However, they soon began to propose an entirely new form of government. The delegates, including George Washington and James Madison, debated throughout the summer of 1787 and ultimately devised a plan for a stronger federal government with three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. A system of checks and balances was also established to ensure that no single branch held too much power.
Among the more contentious issues debated by the delegates was the question of state representation in the national legislature. Delegates from larger states argued for representation based on population, while small states called for equal representation. Another contentious issue was slavery, with northern delegates agreeing to allow individual states to decide on the matter. It was decided that enslaved people would count as three-fifths of a person for taxation and representation purposes, and Congress would not be allowed to prohibit the slave trade before 1808.
Understanding Expressed Powers: Constitutional Foundations of Government
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
The U.S. Constitution.
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The U.S. Constitution was a group effort, but the bulk of the document can be credited to one Founding Father. The Founding Fathers intended the document to be flexible to fit the changing needs and circumstances of the country.
38 of 41 delegates signed the U.S. Constitution, including George Washington and James Madison.
