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The United States Constitution, which was signed on September 17, 1787, went into effect on March 4, 1789, when the new government commenced proceedings under the Constitution. The Constitution was ratified by the required number of states (nine) on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to do so. The Constitution is the fundamental framework of America's system of government, dividing power between the three branches of government: the legislative, executive, and judicial, and setting up a system of checks and balances.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of the convention that drafted the constitution | May 1787 |
| Location of the convention | Philadelphia |
| Number of states represented at the convention | 12 |
| Date the constitution was signed | September 17, 1787 |
| Number of signatures on the constitution | 39 |
| First state to ratify the constitution | Delaware |
| Date of Delaware's ratification | December 7, 1787 |
| Number of states that needed to ratify the constitution | 9 of 13 |
| Date the constitution became the official framework of the US government | June 21, 1788 |
| Date the new government was set to begin | March 4, 1789 |
| Date the constitution took effect | 1789 |
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution was ratified in 1789
The convention was meant to revise the Articles, but the delegates decided to completely redesign the government. They debated fiercely over congressional representation, slavery, and the structure of the government. Despite their differences, they crafted compromises and created a powerful central government. On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution, with George Reed signing for John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total to 39 signatures.
The ratification process was long and arduous. The founders bypassed the state legislatures and called for special ratifying conventions in each state. They required ratification by 9 of the 13 states for the new government to take effect. Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. Several states opposed the Constitution because it did not include a bill of rights.
The Federalists, who supported a strong central government, and the Anti-Federalists, who opposed it, fought hard for their respective causes. The “vote now, amend later" compromise in Massachusetts helped secure victory for the Federalists, and the Constitution was subsequently ratified by the required number of states. On June 21, 1788, the Constitution became the official framework of the US government when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it.
The first presidential election was held from December 15, 1788, to January 10, 1789, and the new government began on March 4, 1789, with George Washington as president and John Adams as vice president. The US Constitution has been amended 27 times since it was ratified in 1789, including the addition of the Bill of Rights, which was ratified on December 15, 1791.
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The Philadelphia Convention of 1787 wrote the Constitution
The United States Constitution, which came into effect in 1789, was written during the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. The convention was called to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation, which was America's first constitution. The Articles of Confederation 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, or print money. The states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart.
James Madison of Virginia, Alexander Hamilton of New York, and George Washington feared that their country was on the brink of collapse. Leading proponents of the convention, Madison and Hamilton, sought to create a new frame of government rather than revise the existing one. Madison, who arrived in Philadelphia 11 days early, set the convention's agenda. Before the convention, he studied republics and confederacies throughout history, such as ancient Greece and contemporary Switzerland. In April 1787, he drafted a document titled "Vices of the Political System of the United States," which systematically evaluated the American political system and offered solutions for its weaknesses. Due to his advance preparation, Madison's blueprint for constitutional revision became the starting point for the convention's deliberations.
The convention was held from May 25 to September 17, 1787, in the Pennsylvania State House, later renamed Independence Hall, in Philadelphia. The delegates swore secrecy so they could speak freely. Although they had gathered to revise the Articles of Confederation, by mid-June they had decided to completely redesign the government. There was little agreement about what form it would take. One of the fiercest arguments was over congressional representation—should it be based on population or divided equally among the states? The framers compromised by giving each state one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate. They agreed to count enslaved Africans as three-fifths of a person.
On July 24, a Committee of Detail was elected to draft a detailed constitution reflective of the resolutions passed by the convention up to that point. The committee included John Rutledge of South Carolina, Edmund Randolph of Virginia, Nathaniel Gorham of Massachusetts, Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut, and James Wilson of Pennsylvania. The convention recessed from July 26 to August 6 to await the committee's report. Overall, the report of the committee conformed to the resolutions adopted by the convention, adding some elements. A twenty-three-article (plus preamble) constitution was presented. From August 6 to September 10, the report of the committee of detail was discussed, section by section and clause by clause. Details were attended to, and further compromises were effected.
Near the end of the convention, a Committee of Style and Arrangement condensed the 23 articles into seven in less than four days. The final version of the Constitution was voted on by the delegates, inscribed on parchment, and signed by 39 of 55 delegates on September 17, 1787.
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38 delegates signed the Constitution in 1787
The United States Constitution, which was signed on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world. The signing of the Constitution marked the end of four months of fierce debates and deliberations by delegates from 12 states (all except Rhode Island, which refused to send delegates) who were tasked with revising the existing government. However, instead of revisions, they crafted a completely new constitution, creating a powerful central government while protecting the prerogatives of the states.
The Constitutional Convention, which began in May 1787, was convened to address concerns about the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution. The Articles had established a national government but lacked enforcement powers, the ability to regulate commerce or print money, and the authority to manage western territories effectively. The delegates to the convention, representing wildly different interests and views, engaged in intense debates and revisions to address these issues and create a stronger, more centralized government.
One of the fiercest arguments during the convention was over congressional representation. The delegates compromised by agreeing to a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House of Representatives and equal state representation in the Senate. They also agreed to count enslaved Africans as three-fifths of a person, and temporarily resolved the issue of slavery by allowing the slave trade to continue until 1808.
The final draft of the Constitution, presented on September 12, 1787, contained seven articles, a preamble, and a closing statement. On September 17, 38 delegates signed the Constitution, with George Read signing on behalf of John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The signing of the Constitution marked the beginning of the process of ratification by the states, with Delaware becoming the first state to ratify it on December 7, 1787.
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9 of 13 states needed to ratify the Constitution
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 or 39 of the 41 or 55 delegates present. The Constitution was then sent to the states for ratification. The process was arduous, with significant opposition in several states.
The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787. This was followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. These states ratified the Constitution with relatively little opposition. However, there was intense debate in Massachusetts, where Anti-Federalists raised concerns about the lack of a Bill of Rights. The Federalists, on the other hand, argued that the Constitution provided a necessary framework for a strong central government capable of unifying the nation and protecting against foreign threats.
The Federalists needed to convert at least three states to ratify the Constitution. They secured ratification in Massachusetts on February 6, 1788, with a narrow margin. By June 1788, eight states had ratified the Constitution. New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution on June 21, 1788, ensuring that it would go into effect. The terms of the Massachusetts Compromise, reached in February 1788, stipulated that amendments would be proposed to protect individual liberties, resulting in the Bill of Rights.
The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island approved the document. The first federal elections were held from December 15, 1788, to January 10, 1789, and the new government was set to begin on March 4, 1789. In the nation's first presidential election, George Washington was elected President and John Adams was elected Vice President.
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The Constitution was ratified by 11 states by July 1788
The United States Constitution was signed by 39 delegates on September 17, 1787, and was then sent to the states for debate and ratification votes. The Constitution stipulated that ratification by 9 of the 13 states was required for it to come into effect.
The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. However, some states opposed the Constitution on the grounds that it did not provide adequate protection for rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. The terms of the Massachusetts Compromise, reached in February 1788, stated that amendments would be made to the Constitution to include these protections, which became the Bill of Rights.
By January 9, 1788, five states had ratified the Constitution, with Massachusetts becoming the sixth state to do so in February 1788. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, meaning that the Constitution became the official framework of the government of the United States of America.
By July 1788, 11 states had ratified the Constitution, with Maryland and South Carolina joining the aforementioned nine states. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island approved the document.
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Frequently asked questions
The United States Constitution has been the supreme law of the United States since 1789.
The Constitution was ratified through a series of state conventions held in 1787 and 1788. On June 21, 1788, the Constitution became the official framework of the government of the United States of America when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it.
The Constitution was drafted in 1787. Delegates from 12 of the 13 states convened in Philadelphia, where they wrote the new constitution.
Article VII of the proposed constitution stipulated that only nine of the thirteen states would have to ratify for the new government to go into effect for the participating states.
