Eleanor Finch
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the country. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. The Constitution was ratified between December 7, 1787, and June 21, 1788, when the required nine of 13 states ratified it. All 13 states eventually ratified the Constitution by May 29, 1790.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year the Constitution was created | 1787 |
| Year the Constitution was ratified | 1788 |
| Year the Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation | 1789 |
| Year all 13 states ratified the Constitution | 1790 |
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What You'll Learn
- The US Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789
- The Constitution was ratified by nine of the thirteen states
- The first steps in ratifying the new constitution occurred before and during the meeting of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in May 1787
- The delegates knew that the unanimity requirement of the Articles would doom any hopes of ratification
- Rhode Island resisted ratifying the Constitution until the US government threatened to sever commercial relations with the state
The US Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789
The Constitution, which originally included seven articles, delineates the frame of the federal government. The 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 consists of the bicameral Congress (Article I); the executive branch consists of the president and subordinate officers (Article II); and the judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court and other federal courts (Article III).
The Constitution was ratified by the required 9 of 13 states between December 7, 1787, and June 21, 1788, making it the official framework for the government of the United States of America. All 13 states eventually ratified the Constitution by May 29, 1790.
Madison introduced 17 amendments to the Constitution, of which Congress adopted 12 on September 25, 1789, to send forth to the states for ratification. Ten of those amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791.
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The Constitution was ratified by nine of the thirteen states
The Constitution of the United States was ratified by nine of the thirteen states between December 7, 1787, and June 21, 1788. This made it the official framework for the government of the United States of America. All thirteen states eventually ratified the Constitution by May 29, 1790.
The Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. The Articles of Confederation had been drafted by a committee appointed by the Second Continental Congress in mid-June 1777 and was adopted by the full Congress in mid-November of the same year. Ratification by the thirteen colonies took more than three years and was completed on March 1, 1781. The Articles gave little power to the central government, and while the Confederation Congress had some decision-making abilities, it lacked enforcement powers.
The Constitution's first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, dividing the federal government 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).
In the nation's first presidential election, George Washington was elected President and John Adams was elected Vice President. Congress was restructured to reflect the system of representation created by the Connecticut Compromise at the Constitutional Convention. Madison introduced seventeen amendments to the Constitution, of which Congress adopted twelve on September 25, 1789, to send forth to the states for ratification. Ten of those amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791.
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The first steps in ratifying the new constitution occurred before and during the meeting of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in May 1787
The US Constitution was ratified in 1788. The first steps in ratifying the new constitution occurred before and during the meeting of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in May 1787. The procedure established in ratifying the proposed new Constitution of 1787 was critical. Previous attempts to amend the Articles of Confederation had failed because of the requirement in the Articles for the unanimous approval of the state legislatures. Without an alternative method of ratification, it was unlikely the Convention’s proposal would be adopted. Consequently, politically astute alternatives were proposed and utilised in ratifying the new Constitution. The next step in ratification occurred in the Constitutional Convention itself when the delegates determined the method most likely to ensure their proposal’s adoption.
Hamilton and James Madison led the lobbying efforts for votes in favour of ratifying the Constitution. With assistance from John Jay, they produced 85 essays known as 'The Federalist Papers' that explained and defended how the proposed new government would function. The essays were published in newspapers nationwide. The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on 7 December 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. Some states voiced opposition to the Constitution on the grounds that it did not provide protection for rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. However, the terms of the Massachusetts Compromise reached in February 1788 stipulated that amendments to that effect—what became the Bill of Rights—would be immediately proposed.
Between 7 December 1787 and 21 June 1788, the required nine of 13 states ratified the Constitution, making it the official framework for the government of the United States of America. All 13 states eventually ratified the US Constitution by 29 May 1790. The 1st Congress addressed the constitutionally-required census during its second session, passing 'An Act Providing for the Enumeration of the Inhabitants of the United States' that President George Washington signed into law on 1 March 1790. Taken as of the first Monday of August 1790, US marshals and their assistants travelled to every household in the 13 States, the districts of Kentucky, Maine, and Vermont, and the Southwest Territory (Tennessee).
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The delegates knew that the unanimity requirement of the Articles would doom any hopes of ratification
The US Constitution was ratified in 1788, superseding the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. The Articles of Confederation had been drafted by a committee appointed by the Second Continental Congress in mid-June 1777 and were adopted by the full Congress in mid-November of that year. Ratification by the 13 colonies took more than three years and was completed on March 1, 1781.
The Articles gave little power to the central government, and while the Confederation Congress had some decision-making abilities, it lacked enforcement powers. The implementation of most decisions, including amendments to the Articles, required legislative approval by all 13 of the newly formed states. This unanimity requirement would have made it difficult to ratify any changes to the Articles, as it would have required the agreement of all 13 states.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 were aware of the challenges posed by the unanimity requirement in the Articles of Confederation. They knew that any hopes of ratifying a new constitution would be doomed if it required the unanimous approval of all 13 states. As a result, they designed a ratification process that required the approval of only nine of the 13 states. This allowed for a more flexible and adaptable framework for the government of the United States of America.
The Constitution's first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, dividing the federal government 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). This separation of powers provided a more effective and efficient system of government than the Articles of Confederation, which had given limited powers to the central government.
The Constitution was still evolving even after its ratification, with Madison introducing 17 amendments born from the Massachusetts Compromise. Congress adopted 12 of these amendments on September 25, 1789, and sent them to the states for ratification. Ten of those amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791.
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Rhode Island resisted ratifying the Constitution until the US government threatened to sever commercial relations with the state
The Constitution was created in 1787 and ratified in 1788. However, Rhode Island resisted ratifying the Constitution until 1790, when the US government threatened to sever commercial relations with the state.
Rhode Island was the last state to ratify the Constitution, and its opposition was chiefly due to the paper money issued in Rhode Island pounds since 1786 by the governing Country Party, intended to pay off the state's burdensome Revolutionary War debt. This led to rampant inflation, making Rhode Island, for many Americans, a dark symbol of what ailed the Confederation. Opponents of state-issued paper currency called for a new Constitution that would ban it.
Rhode Island's large Quaker population was also offended by provisions on the slave trade, while the Federalists' scorn for the state's "excess of democracy" made its residents see the Constitution as a threat. The handful of federalist supporters in Rhode Island were chiefly among the mercantile classes of Providence and Newport. Nearly a dozen conventions that had been called in Rhode Island to ratify the constitution failed to do so, often by wide margins; in one instance, 92% of the delegates voted against ratification.
By 1790, Congress was losing patience. The Governor had asked that the United States not treat Rhode Island as a foreign nation. Spurred on by petitions from Rhode Island merchants who became "zealous advocates" for the new Constitution, and feared the consequences of import taxes on their businesses, Congress granted an exemption until January. In January, Rhode Island lobbyists persuaded Congress to postpone the deadline again, this time so the state could hold a ratifying convention in March. When this convention adjourned without a vote, Congress took action. On May 18, 1790, the Senate passed a bill to prohibit commercial intercourse with Rhode Island.
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitution of the United States was created in 1787.
The Constitution was ratified in 1788, when the required 9 of 13 states ratified it. All 13 states eventually ratified the Constitution by 1790.
The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was the first constitution of the United States. It was drafted in 1777 and ratified in 1781.
The Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation on March 4, 1789.
