Omar Bennett
The United States Constitution, the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force, was drafted in 1787 during the Philadelphia Convention, also known as the Constitutional Convention. The convention was convened to amend the Articles of Confederation, which was the nation's first constitution. However, the delegates to the convention decided to draft a new constitution instead. The U.S. Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, and it became the official framework of the government of the United States on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states 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 to January 10, 1789 |
| Date of official implementation | March 4, 1789 |
| Location written | Philadelphia |
| Number of pages | 4 or 5 |
| Number of articles | 7 |
| Number of amendments | 17 |
| Number of states that ratified the Constitution | 9 out of 13 |
| Number of delegates who signed the Constitution | 38 out of 41 |
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What You'll Learn
- The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787
- It superseded the Articles of Confederation on March 4, 1789
- The document was drafted in secret by delegates to the Constitutional Convention
- The Constitution was ratified by nine of the 13 existing states
- The first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights
The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787
The Constitution was written during the Philadelphia Convention, now known as the Constitutional Convention, which convened from May 25 to September 17, 1787. The delegates to the convention included George Mason, who was initially optimistic about the "great business now before us" but later became disillusioned, feeling that the convention was rushing to create an ill-advised, overly powerful central government.
The convention was conducted under an oath of secrecy, and the final document was the result of much debate and compromise. The three main issues under discussion were 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 first printing of the Constitution was published in a newspaper, The Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser, on September 19, 1787, two days after it was signed. This was the first time that Americans were able to see the document. The original signed, handwritten Constitution is held at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
The Constitution did not go into effect when it was signed, as it needed to be ratified by the people. The process of ratification was long and arduous, and the document was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved it. The first ten amendments to the Constitution, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791.
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It superseded the Articles of Confederation on March 4, 1789
The United States Constitution was written and signed by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. It
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The document was drafted in secret by delegates to the Constitutional Convention
The United States Constitution was drafted in the summer of 1787, in Philadelphia, during the Constitutional Convention. The convention was convened on May 14, 1787, to revise the Articles of Confederation, which was the nation's first constitution. However, it soon became clear that the convention would instead be drafting an entirely new form of government.
The delegates to the convention debated and redrafted the articles of the new Constitution in closed sessions. The chief points at issue were how much power to allow the central government, how many representatives in Congress to allow from each state, and how these representatives should be elected—directly by the people or by the state legislators. The work of many minds, the Constitution stands as a model of cooperative statesmanship and the art of compromise.
The document was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 of the 41 delegates present, marking the conclusion of the convention. However, the Constitution did not go into effect immediately. It needed to be ratified by nine of the 13 existing states. The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. The Constitution became the official framework of the government of the United States on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it.
The original signed, handwritten Constitution is housed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. The National Constitution Center also owns a rare, original copy of the first public printing of the Constitution, which was published in a newspaper, The Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser, on September 19, 1787, two days after the Constitution was signed.
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The Constitution was ratified by nine of the 13 existing states
The United States Constitution was drafted in 1787 by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The delegates debated and redrafted the articles of the new Constitution in closed sessions throughout the summer. The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, but it did not immediately go into effect. It needed to be ratified by nine of the 13 existing states as per Article VII.
The Constitution was initially met with opposition in several states, as some believed it did not provide adequate protection for certain rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. However, the terms of the Massachusetts Compromise, reached in February 1788, stipulated that amendments would be proposed to address these concerns—these amendments became the Bill of Rights.
The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. The Constitution became the official framework of the government of the United States on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it. The remaining four states to ratify the Constitution were Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, and Rhode Island, which finally approved the document on May 29, 1790.
The process of ratification was long and challenging, but it ultimately led to the establishment of a stronger, more centralized government that reflected the will of the people. The Constitution has since been amended numerous times to expand civil rights protections and address issues related to federal authority and government processes.
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The first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights
The United States Constitution, drafted in 1787, is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. The Constitution delineates the frame of the federal government, which 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 first ten amendments to the US Constitution are collectively known as the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights became law on December 15, 1791, when ten of the twelve proposed amendments were ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures. James Madison wrote the amendments to limit government power and protect individual liberties. The amendments were proposed by the First Congress of the United States on September 25, 1789.
The first three articles of the Constitution embody the doctrine of the separation of powers. Article IV, Article V, and Article VI embody concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments, the states in relation to the federal government, and the shared process of constitutional amendment. Article VII establishes the procedure used by the 13 states to ratify the Constitution.
The Bill of Rights was influenced by the Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason, as well as English documents such as the Magna Carta, the Petition of Right, the English Bill of Rights, and the Massachusetts Body of Liberties. The first ten amendments offer specific protections of individual liberty and justice and place restrictions on the powers of government within US states.
The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and the right to petition the government. It also protects the free exercise of religion and freedom of the press. The Second Amendment guarantees the right to bear arms, and the Third Amendment prohibits the quartering of soldiers in civilian homes without consent. The Fourth Amendment protects citizens from unreasonable government intrusion into their homes and requires a warrant for such intrusion. The Fifth Amendment guarantees the right to a fair trial in criminal cases, and the Sixth Amendment guarantees rights in civil cases. The Seventh Amendment guarantees rights in bail, fines, and punishment, and the Eighth Amendment guarantees rights in civil cases. The Ninth Amendment states that the enumeration of certain rights in the Constitution does not deny or disparage other rights retained by the people. Finally, the Tenth Amendment states that powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution are reserved for the states or the people.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution was written in 1787.
The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787.
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.
The US Constitution was ratified on March 4, 1789.
The US Constitution came into effect on March 4, 1789, the same day that George Washington was elected as the first US President.
