Malcolm Rivera
The United States Constitution, the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force, was written during the Philadelphia Convention, also known as the Constitutional Convention, from May 25 to September 17, 1787. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 out of 41 delegates present, and established the government of the United States. The Constitution was drafted in secret and included seven articles, with the first three embodying the doctrine of the separation of powers, dividing the federal government into three branches: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. The document was not immediately binding, as it required ratification by nine of the 13 existing states. The Constitution officially became the framework of the US government on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date written | May 25 to September 17, 1787 |
| Date signed | September 17, 1787 |
| Date published | September 19, 1787 |
| Date ratified | June 21, 1788 |
| Date of first federal elections | December 15, 1788 |
| Date of official implementation | March 4, 1789 |
| Number of pages | Four |
| Number of articles | Seven |
| Number of amendments | 17 |
| Number of delegates who signed | 38 out of 41 |
| Number of states that ratified | 13 |
| Number of essays in the Federalist Papers | 85 |
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787
The delegates debated and redrafted the articles of the new Constitution throughout the summer, discussing and compromising on key issues such as the amount of power to be given to the central government, the number of representatives in Congress for each state, and how these representatives should be elected. The work of many minds, the Constitution stands as a testament to cooperative statesmanship and the art of compromise.
The final version of the Constitution was presented to the convention on September 12, and close votes followed on several articles. On September 15, Edmund Randolph proposed that amendments be made by the state conventions and then considered by another general convention. Two days later, on September 17, the members met for the last time, and the Constitution was signed by 38 out of 41 delegates present.
The Constitution did not go into effect immediately upon being signed. Instead, it had to be ratified by the people through a process that required the approval of nine of the 13 existing states. The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, and the Constitution officially became the framework of the US government on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it.
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It superseded the Articles of Confederation
The United States Constitution was written and ratified just over a decade after the American Revolutionary War, superseding the Articles of Confederation, the first governing document of the United States, which had been adopted in 1781. The Constitution was written during the summer of 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by delegates from 12 states (out of the 13 former colonies, with You may want to see also The United States Constitution was written in the summer of 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The document was drafted during a hot, oppressive summer, and the conditions in the city were less than ideal, with disease and a general sense of unrest. The delegates met in secret, behind closed doors, in what became known as the Constitutional Convention, or the Philadelphia Convention. The delegates wanted to create a new framework of government that would replace the Articles of Confederation, which had been adopted in 1781 but had proven ineffective. The Articles had created a loose confederation of states, with a weak central government that lacked the power to effectively manage the growing nation. The secrecy of the Constitutional Convention allowed the delegates to openly discuss their grievances with the current system and propose bold new ideas without fear of reprisal or causing public panic. This confidentiality also allowed the delegates to engage in frank and sometimes heated debates. The closed-door meetings fostered an atmosphere of trust and encouraged delegates to negotiate, compromise, and find common ground. The secrecy was so strictly enforced that even the windows of the meeting hall were nailed shut to prevent anyone from eavesdropping on the proceedings. You may want to see also The United States Constitution, the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force, was signed on September 17, 1787. However, it did not go into effect immediately. It was only on June 21, 1788, that the Constitution became the official framework of the government of the United States of America. This occurred when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it. The road to ratification was long and challenging. The Constitution was drafted in secret by delegates to the Constitutional Convention during the summer of 1787. The delegates debated and redrafted the articles of the new Constitution, grappling with questions such as the balance of power between the central government and the states, the number of representatives in Congress for each state, and how these representatives should be elected. The Constitutional Convention was conducted under an oath of secrecy, so the first time the American people saw the Constitution was when it was published in a newspaper, The Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser, on September 19, 1787, two days after it was signed. The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document. The first ten amendments to the Constitution, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791. You may want to see also The United States Constitution, the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force, was drafted in 1787. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. The US Constitution was inspired by the 1755 Corsican Constitution, the first written constitution of an independent polity that was adopted by representatives elected by the people. The Corsican Constitution was written in Italian by Pasquale Paoli, who proclaimed the Corsican Republic in July 1755. Paoli sought independence from the Republic of Genoa and introduced various Enlightenment principles, including female suffrage, in his constitution. The Corsican Constitution was short-lived, however, as the Kingdom of France revoked it when it took over the island in 1769. The Corsican Constitution's principles influenced many American patriots, including the Hearts of Oak, originally named "The Corsicans", and the Sons of Liberty. The Corsican Republic's aspiration for independence and democratic principles were also revived by Paoli in the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom of 1794–1796. Despite eventual French control of the island, the Corsican Constitution left a lasting impact on the development of the US Constitution and other nations' constitutions. The US Constitution, like the Corsican Constitution, embodies the doctrine of the separation of powers. It divides the federal government into 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. The US Constitution also establishes federalism, outlining the rights and responsibilities of state governments and their relationship with the federal government. The process of drafting the US Constitution involved closed sessions, debates, and redrafting by delegates to the Constitutional Convention. The final document was signed on September 17, 1787, and established the government of the United States. The US Constitution has since been interpreted, supplemented, and implemented through federal constitutional law, shaping the country's political and legal landscape. You may want to see also The US Constitution was written in 1787 during the Philadelphia Convention, also known as the Constitutional Convention. The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 out of 41 delegates present. The US Constitution became the official framework of the government of the United States of America on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it.Amendments: How to Write Them into the Constitution
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