Eleanor Finch
The Constitution of the United States is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. It 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 last day of the convention. The Constitution established the government of the United States and is the supreme law of the United States of America.
| 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 out of 41 |
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What You'll Learn
- The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787
- It superseded the Articles of Confederation on March 4, 1789
- The first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights
- The Constitution was drafted in secret by delegates to the Constitutional Convention
- The Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force
The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787
The delegates to the Convention, including notable figures such as George Mason, Elbridge Gerry, and Gouverneur Morris, engaged in robust debates and redrafted the articles of the new Constitution throughout the summer. They grappled with crucial issues such as the balance of power between the central government and the states, the number of representatives in Congress, and the method of electing those representatives. The Constitution that emerged from these deliberations embodied the doctrine of the separation of powers, dividing the federal government into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial.
The final days leading up to the signing of the Constitution on September 17 were marked by close votes on several articles. The document was signed by 38 out of 41 delegates present, and it established the government of the United States. However, it did not immediately go into effect upon signing. Instead, it needed to be ratified by the people through a process that required the approval of nine out of the 13 existing states. Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution on December 7, 1787, and New Hampshire's ratification on June 21, 1788, marked the document becoming the official framework of the US government.
The Constitution has been celebrated as a visionary document that put governance in the hands of the people. It has inspired the world with its powerful vision of freedom and democratic ideals. The original signed, handwritten Constitution is preserved at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and its signing date, September 17, is commemorated as Constitution Day in the United States.
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It superseded the Articles of Confederation on March 4, 1789
The United States Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. It is the supreme law of the United States of America. The Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789.
The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and served as the United States' first constitution. It was in force from March 1, 1781, until 1789 when the present-day Constitution went into effect. The Articles were an agreement and early body of law in the Thirteen Colonies, which served as the nation's first frame of government during the American Revolution. It was debated by the Second Continental Congress inside present-day Independence Hall in Philadelphia between July 1776 and November 1777, and was finalized by the Congress on November 15, 1777. It came into force on March 1, 1781, after being ratified by all 13 colonial states. A central and guiding principle of the Articles was the establishment and preservation of the independence and sovereignty of the original 13 states. The Articles consciously established a weak confederal government, affording it only those powers the former colonies recognised as belonging to the British Crown and Parliament during the colonial era.
The Constitution, on the other hand, provided for a much stronger federal government by establishing a chief executive (the president), courts, and taxing powers. 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).
The Constitution was drafted in secret by delegates to the Constitutional Convention during the summer of 1787. This four-page document, signed on September 17, 1787, established the government of the United States. 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.
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The first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights
The United States Constitution, the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force, was drafted in 1787 and signed on September 17 of the same year. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789.
The First Ten Amendments to the US Constitution, proposed by Congress in 1789, are collectively known as the Bill of Rights. The amendments were ratified on December 15, 1791. James Madison wrote the amendments to limit government power and protect individual 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, the executive, and the judicial.
The Bill of Rights offers specific protections of individual liberty and justice and places restrictions on the powers of the government within US states. The first three amendments in the Bill of Rights are as follows:
- Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
- A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
- No Soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
The remaining seven amendments in the Bill of Rights address issues such as the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures; the rights retained by the people; and the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, which are reserved to the states or the people.
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The Constitution was drafted in secret by delegates to the Constitutional Convention
The United States Constitution was drafted in 1787 by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The delegates met in the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall) from May to September. The convention was called to revise the Articles of Confederation, which was the nation's first constitution. However, the delegates ultimately created a new constitution that established a powerful central government.
The Constitutional Convention was held in secret, with the windows of the State House shuttered and the delegates taking a vow of secrecy. This was done to allow the delegates to speak freely and debate the issues without the pressure of public opinion. James Madison, one of the key figures in the Convention, believed that secrecy was necessary to allow for a full debate and the consideration of various ideas. He feared that without secrecy, many delegates would not have spoken their minds so freely.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention represented a wide range of interests and views, and the convention was marked by heated debates over the role of the central government, the powers of the states, and the balance between them. The delegates ultimately created a model of government that divided federal authority between the legislative, judicial, and executive branches, with a system of checks and balances to prevent the concentration of power.
The Constitution was drafted over the course of three months, with a Committee of Detail appointed to put the decisions in writing and a Committee of Style and Arrangement tasked with condensing the articles and finalizing the document. On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the Constitution, with one delegate signing on behalf of an absent delegate, bringing the total number of signatures to 39.
The Constitution of the United States is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world. It has served as a model for many other constitutions and has been amended over time to expand individual civil rights protections and address issues related to federal authority.
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The Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force
The United States Constitution, drafted in 1787, is the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force. It is a four-page document, handwritten by Jacob Shallus, and was signed on September 17, 1787. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789.
The Constitution is a model of cooperative statesmanship and the art of compromise. It was drafted in secret by delegates to the Constitutional Convention, also known as the Philadelphia Convention, during the summer of 1787. The delegates debated and redrafted the articles of the new Constitution, discussing and compromising on key issues such as the power of the central government, the number of representatives in Congress for each state, and how these representatives should be elected.
The Constitution's first three articles 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 remaining articles (Article IV, Article V, and Article VI) embody concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments, the relationship between the states and the federal government, and the shared process of constitutional amendment.
The Constitution did not go into effect immediately after it was signed. It needed to be ratified by the people through a process outlined in Article VII, which required the approval of nine of the 13 existing states. The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, and the Constitution became the official framework of the government of the United States on June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it. The Constitution has been amended several times, with the first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, being ratified on December 15, 1791.
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitution was written in 1787.
The 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 initial purpose of the Convention was for the delegates to amend the Articles of Confederation.
The Constitution was ratified on May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island approved the document.
