Jonah Patel
The United States Constitution, written in 1787, is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. It is a charter of government that continues to be the supreme law of the land. The Constitution was written during the Philadelphia Convention, now known as the Constitutional Convention, which convened from May 25 to September 17, 1787, and was signed on September 17, 1787, by 39 delegates. The Constitution was created in response to the inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation, which was America's first constitution and gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but lacked enforcement powers and the ability to regulate commerce or print money. The Constitution aimed to address these issues and establish a strong central government while also defining the principal organs of government, their jurisdictions, and the basic rights of citizens.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date written | May 25, 1787 - September 17, 1787 |
| Location written | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Number of delegates | 55 |
| Number of signatures | 39 |
| Date signed | September 17, 1787 |
| Date first published | September 19, 1787 |
| Date ratified | June 1788 |
| Number of states ratifying | 9 |
| Date new government commenced | March 4, 1789 |
| Previous constitution | Articles of Confederation |
| Number of articles | 7 |
| Separation of powers | Legislative, executive, and judicial |
| Amendments | 20th Amendment (1933), 22nd Amendment (1951) |
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What You'll Learn
The Constitution was written in 1787
The Constitution of the United States was written in 1787, and it is the oldest written national constitution still in use. The document was penned during the summer of that year in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by 55 delegates to a convention that was ostensibly called to amend the Articles of Confederation, the country's first constitution. The Articles of Confederation had attempted to retain as much independence and sovereignty for the states as possible, but it had deprived the national government of many essential powers, including direct taxation and the ability to regulate interstate commerce. This had led to disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade that threatened to tear the young country apart.
The Constitutional Convention, which took place from May 25 to September 17, 1787, was conducted under an oath of secrecy. The delegates to the convention represented wildly different interests and views, and they crafted compromises to create a powerful central government. The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 39 delegates, and it was submitted for ratification to the 13 states on September 28. Ratification by 9 of the 13 states was required to enact the new government. The Constitution was then published in a newspaper, The Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser, on September 19, 1787, marking the first time that Americans saw the document.
In late 1787, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison published a series of essays now known as the Federalist Papers. The 85 essays, most of which were written by Hamilton himself, probed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and the need for an energetic national government. The Federalist Papers became a classic exposition and defence of the Constitution.
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It was signed by 39 delegates
The United States Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. It was written during the summer of 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by 55 delegates to a Constitutional Convention that was ostensibly called to amend the Articles of Confederation (1781-89), the country's first written 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, and couldn't print money. The states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention, representing wildly different interests and views, crafted compromises to create a powerful central government. The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 39 delegates, including George Reed, who signed for the absent John Dickinson of Delaware. The original, handwritten Constitution is housed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
The signing of the Constitution was an extraordinary achievement. The delegates were tasked with revising the existing government, but they ended up creating a completely new one. 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). The Constitution also established the procedure for its subsequent ratification by the 13 states.
The Constitution did not go into effect immediately after it was signed by the delegates. It needed to be approved by the people through a ratification process. The Federalists, who believed in a strong central government, needed to convert at least three states. The Anti-Federalists, on the other hand, opposed the Constitution because it created a powerful central government that reminded them of the one they had just overthrown, and because it lacked a bill of rights. The ratification campaign was hard-fought, but eventually, the Constitution was ratified by nine states, enacting the new government.
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The Constitution was influenced by the Articles of Confederation
The United States Constitution was influenced by the Articles of Confederation, which served as the country's first constitution. The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and established a "league of friendship" among the 13 sovereign and independent states. Each state retained all powers not expressly delegated to the United States under the Articles.
The Articles of Confederation gave the Confederation Congress the authority to make rules and request funds from the states, but it lacked enforcement powers, the ability to regulate commerce, and the ability to print money. This led to disputes among the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening to tear the young country apart. The central government also struggled to collect taxes to fund its operations, maintain an effective military, or back its own currency.
Recognizing these challenges, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, along with delegates from five states, met at Annapolis, Maryland, in September 1786 to discuss changes to the Articles. This led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which effectively ended the era of the Articles of Confederation. The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787 with the express purpose of revising the Articles.
The Constitution that emerged from the Convention addressed many of the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation. It established a stronger central government, with the power to enforce laws, regulate commerce, and collect taxes. It also provided for a Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution and resolve disputes between the states. The Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation as the supreme law of the land, and it remains in effect today as the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution.
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It was written during the Philadelphia Convention
The US Constitution was written during the Philadelphia Convention, also known as the Constitutional Convention, which took place from May 25 to September 17, 1787. The convention was convened to revise the Articles of Confederation, which was the country's first constitution. However, the delegates ended up drafting a completely new constitution.
The Constitutional Convention was held in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall, in Philadelphia. General George Washington was unanimously elected as the president of the convention. The delegates to the convention included 55 representatives from 12 states, with Rhode Island refusing to participate.
The convention was conducted under an oath of secrecy. The delegates worked to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and the need for a stronger national government. They crafted a constitution that established a powerful central government while also creating a system of checks and balances to prevent the concentration of power.
The final version of the Constitution was presented to the convention on September 12, 1787, and it was signed by 39 delegates on September 17, 1787. The Constitution then went through a ratification process, with special ratifying conventions in each state. Ratification by 9 of the 13 states was required to enact the new government. The Constitution became the supreme law of the land and continues to be the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force.
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The Federalists supported the Constitution
The Federalists, who believed that a strong central government was necessary to address the nation's challenges, were supporters of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. They included big property owners in the North, conservative small farmers and businessmen, wealthy merchants, clergymen, judges, lawyers, and professionals. They were well-funded and well-organized, and they made careful use of the printed word to spread their message.
Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison were influential Federalists who wrote the Federalist Papers, a series of 85 essays published in 1787-88 that advocated for the ratification of the Constitution. Thomas Jefferson later called the Federalist Papers the "best commentary on the principles of government ever written." The Federalists argued that the Articles of Confederation, which served as America's first constitution, were inadequate as they 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 Federalists believed that the Constitution, with its institutional restraints and checks and balances, was effectively a Bill of Rights. They argued that because it would be impossible to list all the rights afforded to Americans, it would be best to list none. They also believed that the greatest threat to the future of the United States did not lie in the abuse of central power but rather in the country's potential collapse due to disputes between the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade.
The Federalists faced opposition from the Anti-Federalists, who fought against the creation of a stronger national government and sought less drastic changes to the Articles of Confederation. The Federalists ultimately prevailed, and on September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution, creating a powerful central government with three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress; the executive, consisting of the president and subordinate officers; and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts.
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Frequently asked questions
The Articles of Confederation, 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, or print money.
James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington feared their young country was on the brink of collapse due to the inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation. The new Constitution was written to remedy this problem and create a powerful central government.
The Constitution's 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. It also describes the rights and responsibilities of state governments, their relationship to the federal government, and the shared process of constitutional amendment.
The Constitution was submitted for ratification to the 13 states on September 28, 1787. It was ratified by nine states, as required by Article VII, and Congress set March 4, 1789, as the date for the new government to commence proceedings.
The Constitution of the United States is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. It is a landmark document of the Western world, defining the principal organs of government, their jurisdictions, and the basic rights of citizens.
