Eleanor Finch
In February 1787, Congress decided to convene a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution. The convention, which began in May 1787, was held in Philadelphia, with George Washington elected as the presiding officer. The delegates, including James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin, debated issues such as representation in Congress, slavery, and the creation of a new executive branch. The result of these discussions was the U.S. Constitution, signed on September 17, 1787, which replaced the Articles of Confederation and established a stronger central government. The first Congress under the new Constitution met from March 4, 1789, to March 4, 1791, during the first two years of George Washington's presidency.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of the first constitutional congress | 4 March 1789 |
| Date of the first constitutional congress's adjournment | 4 March 1791 |
| Location of the first constitutional congress | Federal Hall in New York City, later at Congress Hall in Philadelphia |
| Number of amendments passed by the first constitutional congress | 12 |
| Number of amendments ratified | 10, collectively known as the Bill of Rights |
| Date of ratification of the first 10 amendments | 15 December 1791 |
| Number of states at the time of the first constitutional congress | 13 |
| Number of senators | 6 |
| Number of representatives | 9 |
| Number of delegates at the Constitutional Convention | 55 |
| Date of the Constitutional Convention | 25 May 1787 |
| Date of signing of the Constitution | 17 September 1787 |
| Date of the first United States elections | 1788 |
| Number of states that ratified the Constitution by July 1788 | 9 |
| Date the Constitution went into effect | 4 March 1789 |
| Date the first Congress and president took office | 4 March 1789 |
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What You'll Learn
The Declaration of Independence
In the years leading up to the Declaration, tensions between the American colonists and the British Empire had been mounting. The colonists were increasingly at odds with British policies on taxation and frontier policy. Protests by the colonists, such as the Boston Tea Party in 1773, led to the British Parliament passing the Coercive Acts in 1774, also known as the Intolerable Acts to the colonists. These acts were seen as a violation of their rights and liberties, and in response, the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in 1774 to coordinate a boycott of British goods. However, these efforts at reconciliation failed, and the British Parliament prohibited trade with the colonies in December 1775.
As reconciliation efforts faltered, the idea of independence gained momentum. Benjamin Franklin, a member of the Secret Committee of Correspondence, hinted at the colonies' leanings towards independence to French agents and European sympathizers in 1775. Thomas Paine's pamphlet "Common Sense," published in January 1776, further fuelled the cause for independence. On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee introduced a motion in Congress to declare independence, and a committee was formed to draft the Declaration of Independence, with the task assigned to Thomas Jefferson.
The adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, marked a turning point in the history of the United States. It not only justified their separation from the British Empire but also laid the foundation for the recognition of the new nation by foreign governments. The Treaty of Alliance with France in 1778 was a significant diplomatic achievement, providing the young nation with a powerful ally. The Declaration of Independence set in motion a series of events that culminated in the creation of the United States Constitution in 1787 and the establishment of a new government under that framework in 1789.
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The Articles of Confederation
The delegates agreed to state-by-state voting and proportional state tax burdens based on land values, though they left the issue of state claims to western lands unresolved. Most delegates realized that the Articles were a flawed compromise, but they believed that it was better than an absence of formal national government. The Articles of Confederation contain a preamble, thirteen articles, a conclusion, and a signatory section. The individual articles set the rules for current and future operations of the confederation's central government. Under the Articles, the states retained sovereignty over all governmental functions not specifically relinquished to the national Congress, which was empowered to make war and peace, negotiate diplomatic and commercial agreements with foreign countries, and resolve disputes between the states.
However, just a few years after the Revolutionary War, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington feared their young country was on the brink of collapse. With the states retaining considerable power, the central government had little power to settle quarrels between states. The states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart. In May 1787, the Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. The delegates shuttered the windows of the State House and swore secrecy so they could speak freely.
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The Virginia Plan
The United States Constitution, which came into effect in 1787, was the result of discussions and debates at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which took place in Philadelphia from May to September. The convention was held to revise the Articles of Confederation, which was America's first constitution. The Articles of Confederation had been drafted eleven years earlier, in 1776, along with the Declaration of Independence.
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The First Congress
In February 1787, Congress decided that a convention should be convened to revise the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution. The Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia in May 1787, with George Washington elected as its presiding officer. The delegates quickly decided that their discussions should be kept secret, and the windows of the State House were shuttered.
The convention was called because, a few years after the Revolutionary War, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington feared that their young country was on the brink of collapse. 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.
The delegates to the convention created a model of government that relied on a series of checks and balances by dividing federal authority between the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive branches. The framers of the Constitution had originally imagined a weak presidency and a strong legislature, divided into a House of Representatives and the Senate. However, as deliberations continued, the Executive branch acquired more power to deal with some of the issues that had been a source of sectional tension under the Articles of Confederation.
Twelve articles of amendment to the Constitution were passed by this Congress and sent to the states for ratification. The ten ratified as additions to the Constitution on December 15, 1791, are collectively known as the Bill of Rights.
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The Bill of Rights
The United States Constitution, initially consisting of around 4,500 words, has been further amended and now stands at nearly 8,000 words. The First United States Congress, comprising the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, met from March 4, 1789, to March 4, 1791, during the first two years of George Washington's presidency. This marked the beginning of the United States federal government's official operations under the new (and current) frame of government established by the 1787 Constitution.
The First Amendment protects the freedom to speak and worship freely, prohibiting Congress from making laws establishing religion or abridging freedom of speech. The Fourth Amendment safeguards citizens' right to be free from unreasonable government intrusion in their homes through the requirement of a warrant. The Second Amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms, and the Third Amendment states that no soldier shall, in peacetime, be quartered in any house without the owner's consent. The Fifth Amendment protects citizens' right to due process, and the right of the people to peaceably assemble and petition the government is protected by the First Amendment.
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Frequently asked questions
Discussions for the first constitutional congress began in February 1787.
The first constitutional congress aimed to revise the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, and create a stronger central government.
The delegates met in May 1787, in Philadelphia.
Key figures included James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, who were concerned about the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
The delegates produced the U.S. Constitution, which was ratified by nine states by July 1788. The first Congress and President, George Washington, took office under the new Constitution on March 4, 1789.
