Malcolm Rivera
The Constitution of the United States is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. 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 the final day. The Constitution established the government of the United States, with its first three articles embodying the doctrine of the separation of powers, dividing the federal government into three branches: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date written | May 25, 1787 – 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 – January 10, 1789 |
| Date of official implementation | March 4, 1789 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Number of articles | 7 |
| Number of amendments | 17 |
| Number of delegates who signed | 38 |
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What You'll Learn
The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787
The United States Constitution, the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force, was signed on September 17, 1787. The document was drafted in secret by delegates to the Constitutional Convention during the summer of 1787. The Convention was convened to revise the Articles of Confederation, which was the nation's first constitution. However, it soon became clear that an entirely new constitution would be drafted.
The delegates debated and redrafted the articles of the new Constitution throughout the summer. Some of the key points of discussion were how much power to allow the central government, the number of representatives in Congress for each state, and how these representatives should be elected. The Constitution was presented to the convention on September 12, and the delegates began to consider each section. The final vote on the Constitution took place on September 15, and the members met for the last time on September 17, when the document was signed.
The Constitution established the government of the United States and delineates the frame of the federal government. The first three articles of the Constitution 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 did not go into effect immediately after it was signed. It needed to be ratified by nine of the 13 existing states. Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution on December 7, 1787, and New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it on June 21, 1788. The Constitution officially superseded the Articles of Confederation on March 4, 1789, when George Washington was elected as the first President of the United States.
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It superseded the Articles of Confederation
The United States Constitution was written and ratified in the latter part of the 18th century. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, which had been the first constitution of the United States after
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It was drafted in secret by delegates
The United States Constitution was drafted in secret by delegates to the Constitutional Convention during the summer of 1787. The Federal Convention convened in the State House (now known as Independence Hall) in Philadelphia on May 14, 1787, to revise the Articles of Confederation. The delegates, however, ended up drafting an entirely new form of government.
The delegates debated and redrafted the articles of the new Constitution in closed sessions throughout the summer. The chief points at issue included how much power to allow the central government, how many representatives in Congress to allow 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.
By mid-September, with the delegates eager to return home, compromise came easily. The Constitution was presented to the convention on September 12, and the delegates began to consider each section. The final vote on the Constitution took place on September 15, and the members met for the last time on September 17. The Constitution was then signed by 38 of the 41 delegates present.
The original signed, handwritten Constitution is at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. It is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. It has influenced the constitutions of other nations and continues to inspire the world with its powerful vision of freedom.
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It was ratified by nine of 13 states
The United States Constitution was drafted in the summer of 1787 and signed on September 17, 1787. However, it did not immediately go into effect, as it had to be ratified by nine of the 13 existing states, as per Article VII.
The process of achieving ratification was long and arduous. The Constitution was first ratified by Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. The eighth state to ratify the Constitution was Massachusetts, followed by Maryland and South Carolina. Finally, on June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, thus making it the official framework of the government of the United States of America.
The road to ratification was not without opposition. Some states objected to the Constitution on the grounds that it did not adequately protect certain rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. However, the terms of the Massachusetts Compromise, reached in February 1788, addressed these concerns by stipulating that amendments—what became known as the Bill of Rights—would be immediately proposed.
The ratification of the Constitution marked a significant shift in the structure of the United States government, transitioning from the Articles of Confederation, which had been in place since 1781, to a new framework that established a stronger, more centralized government. The process of ratification also highlighted the importance of cooperative statesmanship and the art of compromise, as the delegates debated and redrafted the articles to address the concerns of the states and ensure the document's ultimate adoption.
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It is the oldest and longest-standing written constitution
The United States Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. The Constitution was written during the Philadelphia Convention, now known as the Constitutional Convention, which convened from May 25 to September 17, 1787. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 out of 41 delegates present. The original U.S. Constitution was handwritten on five pages of parchment by Jacob Shallus.
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). 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 subsequently used by the 13 states to ratify it.
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. 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—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 Constitution became the official framework of the government of the United States of America when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it on June 21, 1788. The first ten amendments to the Constitution, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document.
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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 by the states of Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, and New Hampshire. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island approved the document.
