Malcolm Rivera
The United States Constitution, the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force, was first written in 1787. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Since the beginning of federal operations under the Constitution in 1789 through the beginning of 2013, approximately 11,539 proposals to amend the Constitution have been introduced in the United States Congress.
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What You'll Learn
- The US Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution
- The Articles of Confederation was America's first constitution
- delegates signed the Constitution in 1787
- The Constitution was ratified by 9 of the 13 states
- The first ten amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights
The US Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution
The US Constitution, first written and signed in 1787, is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. It was penned by the delegates of the Constitutional Convention, who assembled in Philadelphia in May of that year. The delegates, representing a wide range of interests and views, came together to revise the Articles of Confederation, which had served as America's first constitution after the Revolutionary War. However, the Articles of Confederation had several shortcomings, including a lack of enforcement powers and the inability to regulate commerce or print money, which led to disputes among the states.
The Constitutional Convention of 1787 aimed to address these issues and strengthen the national government. The delegates, including prominent figures like James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, worked behind closed doors, debating and drafting a new constitution. The final version, presented on September 12, 1787, established a powerful central government with a separation of powers into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial.
The Constitution was signed by 39 delegates on September 17, 1787, marking a significant achievement in the history of the United States. The founders set the terms for ratifying the Constitution, bypassing state legislatures and calling for special ratifying conventions in each state. Ratification by 9 of the 13 states was required to enact the new government. This process faced opposition from Anti-Federalists, who fought against the Constitution due to its creation of a strong central government and the absence of a bill of rights.
The US Constitution has undergone several revisions since its inception, with approximately 11,539 proposals to amend it introduced in Congress from 1789 to 2013. Twenty-seven amendments have been ratified and incorporated into the Constitution, including the first ten amendments, collectively known as the Bill of Rights. The US Constitution's longevity and influence are evident, as it continues to serve as a framework for the US government and has inspired and emulated many other nations.
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The Articles of Confederation was America's first constitution
The United States Constitution, the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force, was first written and adopted in 1787. However, the Articles of Confederation, which served as America's first constitution, were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777.
The Articles of Confederation were a written document that established the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain. It established a weak central government that prevented the individual states from conducting their own foreign diplomacy. The document established a league of friendship for the 13 sovereign and independent states, with each state retaining "every Power... which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States".
The Articles outlined a Congress with representation not based on population, with each state having one vote. Ratification by all 13 states was necessary to set the Confederation into motion. However, disputes over representation, voting, and the western lands claimed by some states delayed the process. The delegates realized that the Articles were a flawed compromise, but they believed that it was better than an absence of formal national government.
By May 1787, the Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. After three months of highly charged debate, a new Constitution was signed, which remains in effect today. This new Constitution established the framework for the United States government, delineating the federal government into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial.
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38 delegates signed the Constitution in 1787
The United States Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. 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.
A few years after the Revolutionary War, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington feared their young country was on the brink of collapse. Alexander Hamilton helped convince Congress to organize a Grand Convention of state delegates to work on revising the Articles of Confederation. The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May of 1787. The delegates shuttered the windows of the State House and swore secrecy so they could speak freely.
On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution, with George Read signing for John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The delegates ranged in age from Jonathan Dayton, aged 26, to Benjamin Franklin, aged 81, who was so infirm that he had to be carried to sessions in a sedan chair. The document is dated: "the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord" 1787, and "of the Independence of the United States of America the Twelfth."
The Constitution's first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, in which the federal government is divided into three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress (Article I); the executive, consisting of the president and subordinate officers (Article II); and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts (Article III). Article IV, Article V, and Article VI embody concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments, the states in relation to the federal government, and the shared process of constitutional amendment. Article VII establishes the procedure subsequently used by the 13 states to ratify it.
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The Constitution was ratified by 9 of the 13 states
The United States Constitution, the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in the world, was first drafted in 1787. The document was signed by 38 out of 41 delegates on September 17, 1787, and it was agreed that it would not be binding until it was ratified by nine of the 13 existing states.
The road to ratification was long and challenging. The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. The Anti-Federalists vehemently opposed the Constitution, arguing that it created a powerful central government and lacked a bill of rights. On the other hand, the Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, advocated for a strong central government to address the nation's challenges. The ratification campaign was a closely contested affair, and the tide turned in Massachusetts, where a "vote now, amend later" compromise helped secure victory.
On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, making it the official framework of the United States government. The remaining four states, including Rhode Island, which was the last to approve the document, ratified the Constitution by May 29, 1790. The Bill of Rights, consisting of ten amendments, was ratified on December 15, 1791, and became part of the Constitution. The capital of the nation was also established on July 16, 1790, solidifying the foundation of the young country.
The process of ratifying the Constitution was a significant milestone in the history of the United States. It replaced the Articles of Confederation, which lacked enforcement powers and could not effectively address the challenges faced by the newly formed nation. The Constitution established a stronger, more centralized government, delineating the framework of the federal government with the separation of powers into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial.
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The first ten amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights
The United States Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. The US Constitution was first written in 1787, and it was revised in 1789.
The Bill of Rights was influenced by the Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason, as well as English documents such as the Magna Carta, the Petition of Right, the English Bill of Rights, and the Massachusetts Body of Liberties. The first ten amendments make up the Bill of Rights, and they include:
- The First Amendment, which protects freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.
- The Second Amendment, which guarantees the right to bear arms.
- The Third Amendment, which prohibits the quartering of soldiers in civilian homes without consent.
- The Fourth Amendment, which safeguards citizens' right to be free from unreasonable government intrusion in their homes and requires a warrant for searches and seizures.
- The Ninth Amendment, which states that the listing of specific rights in the Constitution does not deny other rights retained by the people.
- The Tenth Amendment, which says that the federal government only has the powers delegated to it by the Constitution.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution was first written in 1787.
The US Constitution was first revised in 1789.
The first revision of the US Constitution was the addition of the Bill of Rights, which consisted of the first ten amendments.
Since 1789, there have been approximately 11,539 proposals to amend the US Constitution. Of these, 33 have been approved by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. 27 of these amendments have been ratified and are now part of the Constitution.
