Malcolm Rivera
The U.S. Constitution, beginning with the words We the People, was signed on September 17, 1787, and ratified on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to approve it. The final draft of the Constitution, composed of the Preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments, was signed by 39 of the 55 delegates. The Constitution became the official framework of the government of the United States of America, replacing the Articles of Confederation, which had been adopted in 1781 during the Revolutionary War.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of signing the final draft of the Constitution | 17 September 1787 |
| Number of delegates who signed the Constitution | 39 out of 55 |
| Date of ratification | 21 June 1788 |
| Number of states required for ratification | 9 out of 13 |
| First 10 amendments | Ratified on 15 December 1791 |
| Date when all states ratified the Constitution | 29 May 1790 |
| Date of designation of land for the construction of the capital | 24 January 1791 |
| Date of the election of George Washington as the president of the Philadelphia convention | 25 May 1787 |
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution was ratified in 1788
The US Constitution was ratified on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to approve it. The road to ratification was long and arduous. The United States was governed by the Articles of Confederation, which were adopted in 1781 during the Revolutionary War. The Articles created a weak central government, granting most powers to individual states.
In the postwar years, the government struggled to manage debts, maintain order, and address economic challenges. America's first constitution 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, and couldn't print money. Disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart.
Alexander Hamilton of New York led the call for a constitutional convention to reevaluate the nation's governing document. The Confederation Congress endorsed his initiative, and representatives from all 13 states were invited to convene in Philadelphia on May 25, 1787. On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution, with George Reed signing for the absent John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39.
The delegates came up with a completely new form of government. Wary of centralized power and loyal to their states, they created a powerful central government. Representing diverse interests and views, they crafted compromises. They bypassed the state legislatures, calling for special ratifying conventions in each state. Ratification by nine of the 13 states was required to enact the new government.
The ratification process was not without opposition. Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution, doing so unanimously on December 7, 1787. Pennsylvania and New Jersey quickly followed, with relatively little opposition. In Massachusetts, however, the debate was intense. Anti-Federalists raised concerns about the lack of a Bill of Rights, but Federalists secured ratification by promising to support amendments once the Constitution was adopted.
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The Articles of Confederation were replaced
Fearing that their young country was on the brink of collapse, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and George Washington led the call for a constitutional convention to reevaluate the nation's governing document. Representatives from all 13 states were invited to convene in Philadelphia on May 25, 1787, to participate in the convention, which was marked by vigorous debate and compromise. The delegates crafted a powerful central government, resolving disputes between large and small states by establishing a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
On September 17, 1787, 39 of the 55 delegates signed the final draft of the Constitution. Each state then held a special convention to debate and vote on ratification. Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution, doing so unanimously on December 7, 1787. By June 1788, eight states had ratified the Constitution. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify the Constitution, making it the official framework of the government of the United States of America.
The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document. The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, was ratified on December 15, 1791.
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The US Constitution has 27 amendments
The US Constitution is a living document that has been amended several times since its ratification in 1789. It did not receive the approval of all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document. The US Constitution has 27 amendments, with six amendments that have been adopted by Congress but have not been ratified by the required number of states. Four of these are still pending, while one has failed by its own terms, and another has failed by the terms of the resolution proposing it.
The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791. These amendments include the freedom of speech, religion, and assembly, the right to bear arms, and protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. The 11th Amendment, ratified on February 7, 1795, modified Article III, Section 2 of the Constitution, stating that the judicial power of the United States does not extend to suits against one state by citizens of another state or foreign country.
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, known as the Reconstruction Amendments, were adopted between 1865 and 1870 following the American Civil War. These amendments abolished slavery, granted citizenship and voting rights to former slaves, and prohibited discrimination in voting based on race. The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, prohibited denying US citizens the right to vote based on sex.
More recently, the 20th Amendment, enacted in 1933, changed the date on which a new President, Vice President, and Congress take office, shortening the transition period. The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, limits the President to two terms in office, preventing a President from serving more than eight years.
The process of amending the Constitution is detailed in Article Five, which outlines a two-step process. Amendments must be proposed and then ratified before becoming operative. This can be done by a two-thirds majority vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, or through a national convention called by Congress at the request of two-thirds of the states.
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The US Constitution didn't originally define voting eligibility
The US Constitution became the official framework of the government of the United States of America on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it. The Constitution did not originally define who was eligible to vote, allowing each state to determine who was eligible.
In the early history of the US, some states allowed only white male adult property owners to vote, while others did not specify race or specifically protected the rights of men of any race to vote. Women were largely prohibited from voting, as were men without property. However, there were some exceptions to this. For instance, in New Jersey, women were able to vote on the same basis as men until 1807, provided they could meet the property requirement. In some local jurisdictions in other northern states, free Blacks could also vote, provided they met the property requirement. These property requirements were often set quite low.
It wasn't until the Reconstruction Amendments were adopted between 1865 and 1870, in the five years immediately following the American Civil War, that the Constitution abolished slavery and granted citizenship and voting rights to former slaves. The Fifteenth Amendment gave African American men the right to vote in 1870, but many were unable to exercise this right due to literacy tests and other barriers. It was not until the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified in 1920 that the Constitution prohibited any US citizen from being denied the right to vote based on sex.
The Twenty-sixth Amendment, ratified in 1971, lowered the voting age for all elections to 18, further expanding voting eligibility in the US.
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The US Constitution was signed in 1787
The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 39 of the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The Constitutional Convention, presided over by George Washington, was marked by vigorous debate and compromise. The delegates were tasked with revising the existing government under the Articles of Confederation, which had created a weak central government with limited powers and had failed to provide the necessary stability to the young nation.
The key issues discussed during the convention included the structure of the legislative branch, the balance of power between large and small states, and the question of slavery. The delegates crafted compromises, such as the Great Compromise, which established a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and the Three-Fifths Compromise, which addressed how enslaved individuals would be counted for taxation and representation.
The Constitution created a powerful central government with checks and balances to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful. It also bypassed the state legislatures, calling for special ratifying conventions in each state. Ratification by 9 of the 13 states was required to enact the new government. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, making it the official framework of the government of the United States.
However, the process of ratification faced significant opposition in several states. While some states, like Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, ratified the Constitution with little opposition, others, like Massachusetts, saw intense debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists. The Anti-Federalists raised concerns about the concentration of power in the federal government and the absence of a Bill of Rights. It was not until May 29, 1790, that Rhode Island approved the document, and the Bill of Rights was ratified at the end of the following year.
The US Constitution, beginning with the words "We the People," is composed of the Preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments. It stands today as one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world.
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Frequently asked questions
The new constitution became active in 1788.
Ratification by 9 of the 13 states was required to enact the new government.
New Hampshire's ratification on June 21, 1788, made it the ninth state to ratify the constitution, ensuring that it would go into effect.
