Eleanor Finch
The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the land, empowering the federal government with the sovereign authority of the people. It was drafted in 1787 at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, which was attended by delegates from 12 of the 13 original states. The Constitution was later published in the Federalist Papers between October 1787 and August 1788, and Delaware became the first state to ratify it on December 7, 1787. Since its ratification, the Constitution has been amended 27 times. Notably, the Constitution page on the White House website was reported to be unavailable during the Trump administration, sparking concerns about potential foreshadowing of policy changes.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of drafting | Between May 25 and September 17, 1787 |
| Location | Independence Hall, Philadelphia |
| Number of delegates | 12 of the 13 original states |
| Absent state | Rhode Island |
| Number of amendments since ratification | 27 |
| First state to ratify | Delaware |
| Date of first state ratification | December 7, 1787 |
| Date of publication of Federalist Papers | Between October 1787 and August 1788 |
| Number of Federalist Papers | 85 |
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What You'll Learn
The Constitution's publication date
The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the land, empowering the federal government and providing limitations to protect the fundamental rights of US citizens.
The drafting of the Constitution, often referred to as its framing, was completed at the Constitutional Convention, which assembled at Independence Hall in Philadelphia between May 25 and September 17, 1787. Delegates from 12 of the 13 original states attended, with Rhode Island refusing to send delegates. The convention's initial mandate was to amend the Articles of Confederation, which had established a "firm league of friendship" between the states, but the delegates quickly began considering measures to replace the Articles.
The delegates to the convention quickly began work on drafting a new Constitution for the United States. A chief aim of the Constitution was to create a government with enough power to act on a national level, but without so much power that fundamental rights would be at risk. This was accomplished by separating the power of government into three branches, and then including checks and balances on those powers to ensure that no one branch of government gained supremacy.
Two plans competed to become the new government: the Virginia Plan, which apportioned representation based on the population of each state, and the New Jersey Plan, which gave each state an equal vote in Congress. In the end, they settled on the Great Compromise (also called the Connecticut Compromise), in which the House of Representatives would represent the people as apportioned by population, the Senate would represent the states apportioned equally, and the President would be elected by the Electoral College.
The Constitution was ratified in 1787, and since then, it has been amended 27 times. The first ten amendments to the Constitution contain many of today's Americans' most valued freedoms.
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Amendments to the Constitution
The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the land, empowering the federal government and providing limitations to protect the fundamental rights of citizens. The Constitution has been amended 27 times since its ratification in 1788.
The need for a new Constitution arose from the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation, which vested most power in a Congress of the Confederation. The Articles were ineffective in meeting the needs of the young nation, and the central government had very limited power.
The drafting of the Constitution, often referred to as its framing, was completed at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia between May 25 and September 17, 1787. The Convention, which included delegates from 12 of the 13 original states (Rhode Island did not send representatives), initially aimed to amend the Articles of Confederation. However, the delegates quickly began considering measures to replace them.
The Constitution's main provisions include seven articles that define the basic framework of the federal government. The powers of each branch of government are enumerated in the Constitution, with powers not assigned to them reserved for the states.
The process of amending the Constitution is detailed in Article Five and was designed to prevent arbitrary changes. Amendments must be properly proposed and ratified before becoming operative. An amendment may be proposed by a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress, or if two-thirds of the states request one, by a convention called for that purpose. The amendment must then be ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures or three-fourths of conventions called in each state for ratification.
The first ten amendments to the Constitution, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, known as the Reconstruction Amendments, were adopted between 1865 and 1870 following the American Civil War. These amendments abolished slavery and granted citizenship and voting rights to former slaves.
The process of amending the Constitution has been utilized 27 times, with approximately 11,848 proposals introduced in Congress since 1789. The last proposal to gain the necessary two-thirds support in both the House and the Senate for submission to the states was the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment in 1978.
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The Constitution's basic framework
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. The Constitution includes four sections: an introductory paragraph titled Preamble, a list of seven Articles that define the government's framework, an untitled closing endorsement with the signatures of 39 framers, and 27 amendments that have been adopted under Article V. The Preamble, the Constitution's introductory paragraph, lays out the purposes of the new government. The opening words, "We the People", represented a new thought: the idea that the people and not the states were the source of the government's legitimacy.
The Constitution's main provisions include seven articles that define the basic framework of the federal government. The 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.
The Constitution provides a system of checks and balances designed to avoid the tyranny of any one branch. The powers of each branch are enumerated in the Constitution, with powers not assigned to them reserved to the States. The limitations placed on the federal government and each of its branches were a reaction to the tyranny of British rule, and especially the tyranny of the single monarch. The breadth of the national government’s powers was a correction to the weak government of the Articles of Confederation, which had proved incapable of forging the thirteen original states into one nation.
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The Constitution's defence and criticism
The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the land. It is a source of government powers and provides limitations on the government to protect the fundamental rights of its citizens. The Constitution was drafted in 1787 by the Founding Fathers in Philadelphia, and since its ratification, it has been amended 27 times.
Defending the Constitution
The Constitution has been praised for its ability to protect the rights of even the most vulnerable and marginalised groups. It has been described as an "underdogs' Constitution", safeguarding unpopular religions and political ideas, racial and ethnic minorities, and even people accused of crimes. The Constitution also ensures that powers not assigned to the federal government are reserved for the states, allowing for a balance of power.
Criticisms of the Constitution
Despite its noble intentions, the Constitution has faced numerous criticisms over the centuries. One of the main critiques centres around its limited or negative perspectives on race, class, gender, and political equality. For instance, the Founding Fathers did not have women's rights in mind when drafting the Constitution, creating a masculine system of justice. It took the 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, to prohibit the denial of voting rights based on sex.
Additionally, the Constitution initially failed to address slavery and the rights of former slaves. While the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments following the Civil War abolished slavery and ensured voting rights for Black men, they did not include explicit prohibitions on discrimination based on sex. The Constitution has also been criticised for its protection of the slave trade and the three-fifths compromise, which allowed states to count three-fifths of their slave population for representation in the federal government.
Furthermore, critics argue that the Constitution needs reform to address modern-day challenges and threats adequately. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, for example, called for a "Second Bill of Rights" to ensure economic security and individual freedom in an industrial economy.
The concept of Critical Race Theory also emerged to address the role of race and racial discrimination in the Constitution's history and development. Proponents of this theory argue that a full understanding of the Constitution requires confronting uncomfortable truths and a nuanced view of historical figures.
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The Constitution's removal from the White House website
The removal of the US Constitution from the White House website sparked controversy in January 2025, following President Donald Trump's return to office for his second term. The webpage, which provided information about the Constitution, was no longer accessible, displaying a 404 page not found error. This removal was part of a broader transition from the Biden administration's website to Trump's, which included the deletion of bios of former presidents and the Spanish-language version of the site.
While a White House spokesperson attributed the issue to temporary "tweaking" of the website, critics viewed it as a deliberate attempt by the Trump administration to rewrite history and erase information that did not align with its agenda. Some commentators on Reddit and Twitter accused Trump of being a "narcissist" who wanted the website to focus solely on him and his administration. They also expressed concerns about the removal of content related to past presidents, women's history, and other important topics, fearing that it reflected a selective presentation of information by the administration.
The deletion of the Constitution from the White House website was particularly concerning to some because it contributed to a broader pattern of the Trump administration's actions. This included the removal of a Justice Department database related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, the disappearance of references to transgender people from the National Park Service's webpage, and the revocation of parts of the 1964 civil rights movement that protected against discrimination. These actions were seen by some as authoritarian and reminiscent of Russia's censorship of Wikipedia.
However, others argued that the removal of the Constitution from the website was not as ominous as it seemed. They pointed out that website renovations are typical during presidential transitions and that several other pages had been taken down or modified, including those on tourism, equity, and other topics. Additionally, it is important to note that the Constitution itself has not been altered or revoked; only the webpage containing information about it has been removed.
Despite the explanations and differing interpretations, the removal of the Constitution from the White House website highlighted the power of the administration to shape the narrative presented to the public and the potential consequences for the preservation of historical information and transparency.
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitution was drafted between May 25 and September 17, 1787.
The Constitution is the supreme law of the United States. It outlines the basic framework of the federal government and provides limitations on the government to protect the fundamental rights of citizens.
Two plans competed to become the new government: the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. The Virginia Plan, supported by larger states, proposed representation based on state population. The New Jersey Plan, preferred by smaller states, gave each state an equal vote in Congress.
The delegates settled on the Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise, which combined elements of the two competing plans. The House of Representatives would represent the people as apportioned by population, while the Senate would represent the states equally, with each state having two senators.
The Biden administration's White House website included a page on the Constitution with a history of its creation and an explanation of the original amendments. However, this page was removed during the Trump administration and has not been available since.
