Omar Bennett
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The signing of the Constitution occurred at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention, which began in May of the same year. The Convention was convened to revise the Articles of Confederation, but ultimately resulted in the creation of a new form of government. The Constitution was signed by 39 delegates, representing 12 states, and established the federal government of the United States, outlining the functions of its three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | September 17, 1787 |
| Location | Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Number of Signatures | 39 |
| Total Delegates | 74 |
| Number of Delegates Present | 55 |
| Number of Delegates Who Refused to Sign | 3 |
| Age of Youngest Signer | 26 (Jonathan Dayton) |
| Age of Oldest Signers | 81 (Benjamin Franklin) |
| Date of Ratification by Necessary Number of States | June 21, 1788 |
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What You'll Learn
The signing of the US Constitution
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The signing of the US Constitution was the culmination of a four-month-long Constitutional Convention that began in May 1787, with the goal of amending the Articles of Confederation. However, it became clear early on that a completely new form of government needed to be established.
The convention was attended by 55 delegates, representing 12 of the 13 states (all except Rhode Island, which declined to send delegates). The delegates engaged in intense and lengthy debates, and the final document was a compromise that laid the foundation for a stronger, more centralized government. Of the 41 delegates present on the last day, 39 signed the Constitution, including George Washington, who presided over the convention, and Benjamin Franklin, who, at 81, was the oldest signer.
The signing of the Constitution was preceded by Franklin's powerful speech, in which he acknowledged his own misgivings about certain parts of the document but argued that it was the best that could be hoped for and that future conventions might not produce a better result. Franklin's speech concluded with a plea for all the delegates to sign the Constitution. This motion was approved by 10 of the state delegations, and the signing commenced.
The Constitution established the federal government of the United States and delineated the functions of its three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. It was a product of compromise, addressing issues such as state representation in Congress by proposing a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House of Representatives and equal representation of states in the Senate. The signing of the Constitution was a significant step towards creating a more perfect union and ensuring the future stability of the nation.
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Where and when it was signed
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The signing of the document took place four months after the Constitutional Convention first convened in the same building, then known as the Pennsylvania State House.
The Constitutional Convention began on May 14, 1787, with the goal of revising the Articles of Confederation. However, it soon became clear that a new form of government needed to be established. The convention was marked by intense and lengthy debates, with delegates clashing over the issue of state representation in Congress. The problem was ultimately resolved by the Connecticut Compromise, which proposed a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House of Representatives and equal representation of the states in the Senate.
Independence Hall in Philadelphia was the site of the signing of the United States Constitution. The building had previously witnessed the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and the signing of the Articles of Confederation. On September 17, 1787, 39 delegates representing 12 states endorsed the Constitution. Of the 74 delegates chosen, 55 attended, and 39 signed the document. The remaining delegates either left before the signing ceremony or refused to sign.
The signing of the Constitution was preceded by a speech from Benjamin Franklin, who, despite his own misgivings about certain parts of the document, strongly endorsed it. Franklin's speech concluded with a plea for all the delegates to sign the Constitution. The final motion to sign the document was approved by 10 of the state delegations. The signing of the Constitution marked the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention and the creation of a new form of government for the United States.
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Who signed it
The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Of the 74 delegates who were chosen, 55 attended the convention, and 39 signed the Constitution. The remaining 16 either left before the signing ceremony or refused to sign the document.
The signers' names are grouped by state, with the listing of states arranged geographically from north to south. The 39 delegates who signed the Constitution represented 12 states, with Rhode Island being the only state that refused to send delegates.
The youngest signer was 26-year-old Jonathan Dayton, and the oldest was 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin, who was so infirm that he had to be carried to sessions in a sedan chair. Seven of the signers had also signed the Declaration of Independence, and thirty had served on active military duty.
Some notable signers of the US Constitution include:
- Roger Sherman: A resourceful businessman, lawyer, judge, and politician. Sherman signed all four founding documents: the Articles of Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution.
- William Samuel Johnson: A career politician for Connecticut, he passionately debated in favor of equal representation for small states and strongly supported the Connecticut Compromise.
- Benjamin Franklin: At the Constitutional Convention, Franklin delivered an address endorsing the Constitution despite its imperfections. He summed up the sentiments of those who signed the document, stating that while they may not approve of every part, they accept it because they "expect no better."
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Why it was signed
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The signing of the United States Constitution occurred when 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention, representing 12 states (all but Rhode Island, which declined to send delegates), endorsed the Constitution.
The Constitution was created during a four-month-long convention that started in May 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 soon realised that rather than amend the existing Articles, they would need to draft an entirely new form of government.
The Constitution was designed to meet the immediate needs of 13 states with approximately four million people. It lays out the framework of the nation's federal government and delineates how its three branches (legislative, executive, and judicial) are to function. The Constitution also includes an introductory paragraph titled "Preamble", which states: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." The phrase "We the People" represented a new idea: that the people, not the states, were the source of the government's legitimacy.
The delegates who signed the Constitution represented a cross-section of 18th-century American leadership, with individuals having experience in local, colonial, or state government. Virtually every signer had taken part in the American Revolution; seven had signed the Declaration of Independence, and thirty had served on active military duty. Benjamin Franklin, at 81 years old, was the oldest signer, and he summed up the sentiments of those who did sign:
> There are several parts of this Constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them. I expect no better and because I am not sure that it is not the best.
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Ratification
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. However, it was not binding until it was ratified by nine of the 13 states, as dictated by Article VII. The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. On February 1788, a compromise was reached, under which Massachusetts and other states agreed to ratify the document with the assurance that amendments would be immediately proposed. The Constitution was then ratified in Massachusetts, followed by Maryland and South Carolina.
On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth and final state needed to ratify the Constitution. Subsequently, it was agreed that the government under the U.S. Constitution would begin on March 4, 1789. In June, Virginia ratified the Constitution, followed by New York in July, and North Carolina in November 1789. On September 25, 1789, the first Congress of the United States adopted 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and sent them to the states for ratification. Ten of these amendments were ratified in 1791.
The signing of the United States Constitution was the culmination of four months of fierce debate and deliberation by 39 delegates representing 12 states (all except Rhode Island, which declined to send delegates). The delegates, who were some of the greatest minds of the day, created a new form of government to replace the weak central government established by the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution laid out the framework for the nation's federal government and delineated how its three branches (legislative, executive, and judicial) would function.
The process of ratification was not without opposition. Some states, notably Massachusetts, objected to the document because it failed to reserve undelegated powers to the states and did not provide constitutional protection for basic political rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. However, the Massachusetts Compromise reached in February 1788, assured these states that amendments to that effect would be immediately proposed, and this eventually led to the Bill of Rights.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787.
The US Constitution was signed at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
39 delegates signed the US Constitution, including Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.
The US Constitution laid out a new plan for a federal government and described how its three branches (legislative, executive, and judicial) would function.
The US Constitution was ratified on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to do so.
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