Simone Lawson
The United States Constitution, written in 1787, is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. It was drafted in secret by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, who met between May and September of that year. The delegates debated and redrafted the articles of the new Constitution, which included seven articles that delineated the frame of the federal government. The Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789, and has served as the basis of the United States Government ever since.
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What You'll Learn
- The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787
- The Articles of Confederation had no enforcement powers
- The Federal Convention convened in Philadelphia
- The Constitution's first three articles embody the separation of powers
- The Constitution was written to address the problems of the weak central government
The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787
The US Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. The Articles of Confederation, ratified several months before the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781, provided for a loose confederation of US states, which were sovereign in most of their affairs. 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).
The Federal Convention convened in the State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia on May 14, 1787, to revise the Articles of Confederation. The delegates debated and redrafted the articles of the new Constitution throughout the summer. Among the chief points at issue were how much power to allow the central government, how many representatives in Congress to allow each state, and how these representatives should be elected.
The Constitution was ratified by nine of the 13 states. Beginning on December 7, 1787, five states—Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut—ratified it in quick succession. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the document, and it was subsequently agreed that the government under the US Constitution would begin on March 4, 1789. In June, Virginia ratified the Constitution, followed by New York in July. On September 25, 1789, the first Congress of the United States adopted 12 amendments to the US Constitution—the Bill of Rights—and sent them to the states for ratification. Ten of these amendments were ratified in 1791.
The US Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. It is also considered one of the most emulated constitutions globally.
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The Articles of Confederation had no enforcement powers
The United States Constitution, the supreme law of the United States of America, was signed on September 17, 1787. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, which was the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789.
The Articles of Confederation, finalised on November 15, 1777, was the United States' first constitution. It established a "league of friendship" for the 13 sovereign and independent states. Each state retained "every Power, Jurisdiction and right, not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States". The Articles of Confederation also outlined a Congress with representation not based on population, with each state having one vote.
The lack of enforcement powers led to several issues. Congress was chronically short of money, as it had to rely on voluntary contributions from the states, which often failed to meet these requests in full. The absence of a tax base meant that there was no way to pay off state and national debts from the war years except by requesting money from the states, which seldom arrived. The states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart.
The weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation became apparent over time, and it was recognised that the government needed to be improved. The delegates at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 debated and redrafted the articles of the new Constitution, resulting in a powerful central government.
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The Federal Convention convened in Philadelphia
The Federal Convention, also known as the Constitutional Convention, convened in Philadelphia in May 1787. The convention was initially intended to revise the existing Articles of Confederation, which had served as the United States' first constitution. However, many of the convention's proponents, including James Madison of Virginia and Alexander Hamilton of New York, sought to create a new system of government with a stronger national government.
The convention was convened in response to concerns about the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, which had been adopted during the Revolutionary War. The Articles gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it lacked enforcement powers and could not regulate commerce or print money. Additionally, the federal government faced challenges in conducting foreign policy and was unable to pass or enforce laws that individual states were required to follow.
The Federal Convention was attended by delegates from various states, including George Washington of Virginia, who was elected as the president of the convention. The delegates debated and drafted the new Constitution in closed sessions throughout the summer of 1787. They discussed and debated key issues such as the balance of power between the central government and the states, the number of representatives in Congress, and how these representatives should be elected.
The final document, consisting of four pages, was signed by 39 delegates on September 17, 1787. The Constitution established a federal government with three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. It also addressed foreign policy challenges by granting authority over certain aspects of foreign affairs to an executive branch, while important powers such as treaty ratification remained with the legislative branch. The Constitution came into effect in 1789 and has served as the basis of the United States Government ever since.
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The Constitution's first three articles embody the separation of powers
The United States Constitution, signed on September 17, 1787, is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in the world. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. The Constitution's first three articles embody the separation of powers, dividing the federal government into three branches.
Article I establishes the legislative branch, consisting of a bicameral Congress. Congress is tasked with making laws and is divided into two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate. This bicameral structure was a compromise between large and small states, balancing representation based on population with equal representation for each state.
Article II establishes the executive branch, consisting of the President and subordinate officers.
Article III establishes the judicial branch, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts. Federal judges are appointed for life unless they commit serious crimes.
A system of checks and balances prevents any one of these three branches from becoming dominant. This separation of powers was designed to address concerns about centralized power and to protect against autocratic rule, reflecting the egalitarian character of the American people.
Articles IV, V, and VI embody concepts of federalism, outlining the rights and responsibilities of state governments, their relationship with the federal government, and the shared process of constitutional amendment. Article VII establishes the procedure for ratification by the 13 states.
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The Constitution was written to address the problems of the weak central government
The United States Constitution was written during the summer of 1787, in a bid to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation, which was 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. The states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart.
James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, feared that their young country was on the brink of collapse. Hamilton helped convince Congress to organise a Grand Convention of state delegates to work on revising the Articles of Confederation. The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787. The delegates shuttered the windows of the State House and swore secrecy so they could speak freely.
The delegates debated and redrafted the articles of the new Constitution. Among the chief points at issue were how much power to allow the central government, how many representatives in Congress to allow each state, and how these representatives should be elected. 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).
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention created a model of government that relied upon a series of checks and balances by dividing federal authority between the Legislative, the Judicial, and the Executive branches of government. The framers of the Constitution had originally imagined a weak presidency and a strong legislature divided into a House of Representatives and the Senate. The Constitution does not stipulate the existence of departments within the executive branch, but the need for such departments was recognised immediately.
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitution was written to establish a federal government with more specific powers, including those related to conducting relations with foreign governments.
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.
The chief points at issue were how much power to allow the central government, how many representatives in Congress to allow each state, and how these representatives should be elected.
The delegates came up with a completely new form of governance, creating a powerful central government. They condensed 23 articles into seven in less than four days.
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).
