Isabella Carter
The United States' first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, was drafted in mid-June 1777 and ratified on March 1, 1781. The Articles 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, and couldn't print money. The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth and final state needed to ratify the Constitution. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of approval | November 15, 1777 |
| Date of ratification | March 1, 1781 |
| First state to ratify the Constitution | Delaware |
| Date of Delaware's ratification | December 7, 1787 |
| Date of New Hampshire's ratification | June 21, 1788 |
| Date of Rhode Island's ratification | May 29, 1790 |
| Date of Bill of Rights ratification | December 15, 1791 |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
The first US Constitution was the Articles of Confederation
The United States' first constitution was the Articles of Confederation, which was approved on November 15, 1777. The Articles of Confederation established a "league of friendship" for the 13 sovereign and independent states. Each state retained "every Power... which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States".
The Articles of Confederation were drafted by a committee appointed by the Second Continental Congress in mid-June 1777. The principal writer of the document was John Dickinson, a delegate from Delaware. The document was then adopted by the full Congress in mid-November of the same year. However, ratification by the 13 colonies took more than three years and was not completed until March 1, 1781, when Maryland became the final state to ratify the document.
The Articles of Confederation established a weak central government, which lacked enforcement powers, and could not regulate commerce or print money. The central government also couldn't collect taxes to fund its operations, relying on voluntary efforts from the states. The states retained considerable power, and disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart.
Due to these issues, the Articles of Confederation were eventually superseded by the current US Constitution on March 4, 1789. The process of amending the Articles of Confederation required unanimous approval of all the states, but the new Constitution only required ratification by nine of the 13 states. The new Constitution established a stronger central government, with three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial.
The Body's First Line of Defense: Understanding Our Immune System
You may want to see also
The Articles of Confederation were ratified in 1781
The Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, were ratified in 1781. The document was drafted by a committee appointed by the Second Continental Congress in mid-June 1777 and was adopted by the full Congress in mid-November of that year. However, ratification by the 13 colonies took more than three years and was only completed on March 1, 1781, when Maryland became the final state to approve the document.
The Articles gave limited power to the central government, which lacked enforcement powers. While the Confederation Congress had some decision-making abilities, it could not tax and was generally ineffective in setting commercial policy. It also lacked the power to regulate commerce and support a war effort. The states retained considerable power, and the central government had little authority to settle disputes between them.
The Articles of Confederation were replaced by the present-day Constitution in 1789. The process of drafting and ratifying this new Constitution was a lengthy one. A convention of state delegates was called in February 1787 to propose revisions to the Articles, and a quorum of seven states met on May 25, 1787, to begin deliberations. Eventually, 12 states were represented, with Rhode Island refusing to participate. The new Constitution was drafted by a Committee of Detail appointed by this convention.
The first state to ratify the new Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. However, some states opposed the Constitution on the grounds that it did not provide protection for certain rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. The eventual outcome remained uncertain in pivotal states such as Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia. On February 6, 1788, Massachusetts narrowly ratified the Constitution, influenced by the promise of a bill of rights.
New Hampshire became the ninth and final state needed to ratify the Constitution on June 21, 1788. Rhode Island was the last state to approve the Constitution on May 29, 1790, and the Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791.
Who Were the First Constitution Signers?
You may want to see also
The Constitution was drafted in 1787
The United States Constitution was drafted in 1787, but it was not ratified until 1788. The drafting of the Constitution was prompted by fears that the young country was on the brink of collapse. America's first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, 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, and couldn't print money.
In 1786, John Jay, a Continental Congress delegate from New York, wrote to George Washington, expressing the belief that "a general convention for revising the articles of Confederation would be expedient." The following year, on February 21, 1787, the Confederation Congress called a convention of state delegates in Philadelphia to propose revisions to the Articles. The convention was intended to "render the federal constitution adequate to the exigencies of government and the preservation of the Union."
On May 25, 1787, a quorum of seven states met and deliberations began. Eventually, 12 states were represented, with Rhode Island refusing to participate. The delegates were tasked with revising the existing government, but they ended up creating a completely new one. They crafted a powerful central government, representing a wide range of interests and views, and compromising on various issues.
On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution, with George Reed signing on behalf of the absent John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The Constitution was then sent to the states for ratification. The first state to ratify was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. By January 9, 1788, five states had approved the Constitution. However, the outcome remained uncertain in pivotal states such as Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia.
The Federalists, who supported the Constitution, and the Anti-Federalists, who opposed it, engaged in a heated ratification campaign. The Federalists, including Hamilton, Madison, and Jay, produced 85 essays known as "The Federalist Papers," which explained and defended how the proposed new government would function. The tide turned in Massachusetts, where a "vote now, amend later" compromise helped secure victory, and eventually, the necessary nine out of thirteen states ratified the Constitution. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth and final state needed to ratify. The Constitution was finally ratified, and the new government was enacted.
St. Louis vs. Missouri Constitution: Which Came First?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
$14.23 $14.99
The first state to ratify was Delaware in 1787
The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 out of 41 delegates present. However, it was agreed that the document would only be binding once it was ratified by nine of the 13 existing states. The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, with a unanimous vote of 30-0. This was followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut.
The road to the ratification of the US Constitution was not without its challenges. Some states voiced opposition to the Constitution, arguing that it did not adequately protect certain rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. Despite these concerns, Delaware's ratification set the ball rolling for the eventual adoption of the Constitution.
The process of ratification was led by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, who produced 85 essays known as "The Federalist Papers." These essays explained and defended the proposed new government's functioning and were published in newspapers across the nation. Their efforts proved successful, and by January 9, 1788, five states had approved the Constitution, with Delaware leading the way.
The ratification of the Constitution paved the way for the first federal elections, which were held from December 15, 1788, to January 10, 1789. The new government, led by President George Washington and Vice President John Adams, officially began on March 4, 1789. The Constitution continued to evolve, with Madison introducing 17 amendments, 12 of which were adopted by Congress on September 25, 1789, and sent to the states for ratification. Ten of these amendments, the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791.
Amending the Constitution: Initiation and its Complexities
You may want to see also
The final state to ratify was New Hampshire in 1788
The United States Constitution was approved on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth and final state needed to ratify the document. The road to ratification was a long and arduous one, with Federalists and Anti-Federalists battling it out over the proposed new government.
The Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, was ratified by the 13 colonies on March 1, 1781. However, it soon became apparent that the Articles were inadequate, as they gave the Confederation Congress little power to make and enforce rules, regulate commerce, or print money. Divisions among the states and local rebellions threatened to tear the young nation apart.
Nationalists, led by James Madison, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay, began working towards strengthening the federal government. They turned a series of regional commercial conferences into a national constitutional convention in Philadelphia in 1787. The convention was attended by 12 states, with Rhode Island refusing to participate. The delegates came up with a completely new constitution, creating a powerful central government.
The ratification process was not an easy one, as the Federalists needed to convert at least three states. The Anti-Federalists opposed the Constitution because it created a strong central government, and it lacked a bill of rights. The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. However, pivotal states such as Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia were uncertain. Eventually, a compromise was reached in Massachusetts, and it became the sixth state to ratify.
The New Hampshire convention was adjourned by Federalists who sensed imminent defeat. Rhode Island also turned down the Constitution in a popular referendum. However, on June 21, 1788, New Hampshire approved the Constitution, becoming the ninth and final state needed for ratification. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document.
The Independence-Constitution Conundrum: Which Came First?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
The first US Constitution, the Articles of Confederation, was approved by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, but the 13 colonies did not ratify them until March 1, 1781.
The second US Constitution was signed by 38 delegates on September 17, 1787, with a 39th signature from George Reed standing in for John Dickinson of Delaware. The final state needed to ratify the Constitution was New Hampshire on June 21, 1788.
The US Constitution was last amended on February 3, 1913, with the ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment, which gave Congress the authority to levy income tax without basing it on the US Census.
