Malcolm Rivera
The United States Constitution, the oldest written national constitution still in use, was written in 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by 55 delegates to a Constitutional Convention. The convention was called to amend the Articles of Confederation, the country's first constitution, which had attempted to retain as much independence and sovereignty for the states as possible. However, the Articles of Confederation lacked enforcement powers, and the national government lacked essential powers, including direct taxation and the ability to regulate interstate commerce. The new Constitution, which came into effect in 1789, superseded the Articles of Confederation and has since been amended 27 times.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date written | Summer of 1787 |
| Location written | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Number of delegates | 55 |
| Number of delegates who signed | 39 |
| Date signed | 17 September 1787 |
| Date ratified | 4 March 1789 |
| Date operational | 1789 |
| Number of amendments | 27 |
| Number of original articles | 7 |
| Previous constitution | Articles of Confederation |
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What You'll Learn
The first US Constitution, the Articles of Confederation, was written in 1781
The United States is a federal system with a written constitution, which acts as the fundamental law of the country. The oldest written national constitution still in use, it defines the basic rights of citizens and the principal organs of government and their jurisdictions. The US Constitution was written in 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by 55 delegates to a Constitutional Convention. However, this was not the first US Constitution. The Articles of Confederation, written in 1781, was the country's first written 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, and it couldn't regulate commerce or print money. The states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart. The Articles were also unworkable because they deprived the national government of many essential powers, including direct taxation and the ability to regulate interstate commerce.
The authors of the 1787 Constitution were heavily influenced by the country's experience under the Articles of Confederation. The 1787 Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation on March 4, 1789, and it became operational in 1789. It has since been amended 27 times. The first ten amendments, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, offer specific protections of individual liberty and justice and place restrictions on the powers of government within the US states.
The 1787 Constitution was written during a period of great concern for the future of the country. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington feared that their young country was on the brink of collapse. The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May of 1787. The delegates closed the windows of the State House and swore secrecy so they could speak freely.
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The current US Constitution was written in 1787
The current US Constitution, the oldest written national constitution in use, was written in 1787. It was written in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by 55 delegates to a Constitutional Convention. The convention was called to amend the Articles of Confederation, the country's first written constitution, which had attempted to retain as much independence and sovereignty for the states as possible. However, the Articles of Confederation had no enforcement powers, could not regulate commerce, and could not levy taxes.
The delegates to the 1787 convention, representing a wide range of interests and views, crafted compromises to resolve their disputes. One such compromise was the Great Compromise, which created a bicameral legislature with a Senate, in which all states are equally represented, and a House of Representatives, in which representation is based on a state's free population plus three-fifths of its enslaved population. The delegates also addressed slavery, prohibiting Congress from banning the importation of enslaved people until 1808.
The new Constitution was signed by 39 delegates on September 17, 1787, and it was submitted for ratification. The ratification process was contentious, with Federalists supporting the Constitution and Anti-Federalists opposing it due to concerns about centralized power and the lack of a bill of rights. The Constitution was ratified by nine states, as required by Article VII, and Congress set March 4, 1789, as the date for the new government to begin. The first elections under the Constitution were held in 1788, and it became operational in 1789.
Since then, the Constitution has been amended 27 times to expand individual civil rights protections, address issues related to federal authority, and modify government processes. The first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and offer specific protections of individual liberty and justice, as well as restrictions on the powers of the government within the US states.
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39 delegates signed the Constitution
The US Constitution, the oldest written national constitution still in use, was signed by 39 delegates on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The signing occurred after a four-month-long convention, during which 55 delegates from 12 states (all except Rhode Island, which did not send any delegates) debated and crafted the document.
The Constitution was created to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, which established the first national government but failed to empower the central government sufficiently. The Articles protected state sovereignty at the expense of the central government, which lacked the power to raise revenue, conduct diplomatic relations, or effectively manage western territories. The new Constitution aimed to expand the power of the central government while protecting the prerogatives of the states.
The 39 delegates who signed the Constitution represented a cross-section of 18th-century American leadership, with experience in local, colonial, and state governments. Virtually all of them had taken part in the American Revolution, seven had signed the Declaration of Independence, and 30 had served in the military. The youngest signer was 26-year-old Jonathan Dayton, and the oldest was 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin.
The signing of the Constitution was a significant moment in American history, as it established the framework for the nation's federal government and delineated the functions of its three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The Constitution has been amended 27 times since it became operational in 1789, with the first ten amendments known collectively as the Bill of Rights.
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The Constitution became operational in 1789
The US Constitution, the supreme law of the United States of America, came into effect in 1789. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the country's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. The Constitution was written in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the summer of 1787 by 55 delegates to a Constitutional Convention. The convention was called to amend the Articles of Confederation, which had been ratified in 1781. However, the Articles of Confederation had several shortcomings, including the lack of enforcement powers, the inability to regulate commerce, and the inability to print money, which led to disputes among the states.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention, representing different interests and views, crafted compromises to create a powerful central government while maintaining the independence and sovereignty of the states. The Constitution delineates the framework of the federal government, with the first three articles embodying the doctrine of the separation of powers. 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).
The remaining articles of the Constitution (Articles IV, V, and VI) outline the concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments, their relationship to the federal government, and the shared processes. The Constitution has been interpreted, supplemented, and implemented by a large body of federal constitutional law and has served as a model for the constitutions of other nations.
The first ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified by the states and adopted on December 15, 1791. These amendments offer specific protections of individual liberty and justice and place restrictions on the powers of the government within the US states. The majority of the 17 later amendments expand individual civil rights protections, while others address issues related to federal authority or modify government processes and procedures.
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The first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights
The US Constitution, the oldest written national constitution still in use, was signed on September 17, 1787, and ratified in 1788. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the country's first constitution. The Constitution was written in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by 55 delegates to a Constitutional Convention.
The first ten amendments to the US Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. These amendments were ratified on December 15, 1791, and were added to the Constitution to limit government power and protect individual liberties. James Madison wrote the amendments, which were initially presented as a list of 17 amendments, of which 12 were approved by the Senate and sent to the states for approval in August 1789. Ten of these were approved by three-fourths of the state legislatures.
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 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 First Amendment of the Bill of Rights protects the freedom of speech, assembly, and petition of the government. It also prohibits the government from establishing a religion or prohibiting its free exercise. The Second Amendment guarantees the right to bear arms, and the Third Amendment states that no soldier can be housed in a private residence without the owner's consent. The Fourth Amendment safeguards citizens' right to be free from unreasonable government intrusion in their homes and requires a warrant for any searches. The Ninth Amendment states that the rights not specifically enumerated in the Constitution are retained by the people, and the Tenth Amendment states that powers not delegated to the US government are reserved for the states or the people.
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Frequently asked questions
The first US constitution, the Articles of Confederation, was written in 1781.
The second and current US constitution was written in 1787 and came into effect in 1789.
The US constitution has been amended 27 times since 1789.
