Jonah Patel
The Constitution of the United States was written in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 1787, by delegates from 12 states. The Constitutional Convention, presided over by George Washington, was formed to replace the Articles of Confederation with a new form of government. The delegates decided to completely redesign the government, creating a federal system with a national government composed of three separated powers. The Constitution was ratified by all states by May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island approved the document.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Formation | Summer of 1787 |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania State House |
| Type | Federal Convention, also known as the Constitutional Convention |
| Purpose | To revise the existing form of government and frame a new Constitution |
| Leadership | General George Washington |
| Notable Figures | Robert Morris, James Madison, John Tyler, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, James Wilson, George Mason, John Dickinson, Gouverneur Morris, Thomas McKean, Samuel Huntington, Samuel Johnston, and more |
| Achievements | Established the structure and powers of Congress, including the creation of the Senate as a separate body from the House of Representatives |
| Outcome | The United States Constitution, which became operational in 1789, consisting of seven articles defining the federal government |
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What You'll Learn
The Constitutional Convention
The convention was presided over by General George Washington, who was unanimously elected as its president. Other notable attendees included Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, James Wilson of Pennsylvania, Alexander Hamilton of New York, George Mason of Virginia, and John Dickinson of Delaware. James Madison of Virginia played a significant role in proposing the creation of the Senate, a small, deliberative body that would counterbalance the larger, more democratic House of Representatives.
The convention's origins can be traced back to a proposal by Madison and John Tyler in the Virginia assembly, suggesting that the Continental Congress be empowered to regulate commerce throughout the Confederation. Madison, along with Alexander Hamilton, issued a report calling for a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation, which was widely seen as a challenge to congressional authority. Despite this, Congress issued a formal call for a convention, leading to the gathering of delegates in Philadelphia and the eventual creation of the United States Constitution.
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George Washington's presidency
The United States Constitution was created by the Constitutional Convention, which elected George Washington as its president. Washington was a Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. He was inaugurated as the first president on April 30, 1789, at Federal Hall in New York, the nation's capital at the time. Washington's inauguration set a precedent for future presidents, as did the behaviour of his wife, Martha Washington, who became the template for the wives of future chief executives.
Washington's cabinet included four original members: Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of War Henry Knox, and Attorney General Edmund Randolph. On January 8, 1790, he delivered to Congress the first State of the Union address in American history, setting precedents in defence, foreign policy, economics, education, and immigration.
Washington was unanimously re-elected president in 1792, receiving 132 electoral votes, and John Adams was re-elected as vice president. Washington's second inauguration took place in the Senate Chamber of Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 4, 1793. His inaugural address was just 135 words, the shortest ever.
During his presidency, Washington confronted crises and set the template for presidential leadership. He was known for his strength and strong presence, though he was not a noted orator or debater. He was opposed to excessive drinking, smoking tobacco, gambling, and profanity. He was also privately opposed to slavery, though he did not make abolition a public cause. Washington's farewell address stands as a warning about the forces that threaten American democracy.
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James Madison's contributions
The United States Constitution was authored by the Constitutional Convention of 1787, also known as the Federal Constitutional Convention of 1787.
James Madison, often regarded as the "Father of the Constitution", made several contributions to the formation of the Constitution. Madison's work on George Mason's draft of the Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776 is considered the first step towards independence and the Constitution. He replaced the phrase "all men should enjoy the fullest toleration in the exercise of religion" with "all men are equally entitled to the full and free exercise of it", foreshadowing his "Memorial and Remonstrance" (1785) and the Bill of Rights (1789).
Madison's "Notes of Debates in the Continental Congress" served as an important source of information for understanding the activities of Congress during the years leading up to the American Revolution and the plans for a new federal Constitution. He was also instrumental in calling the Annapolis Convention of 1786, which led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. At this convention, Madison presented his Virginia Plan, which provided the basic framework and guiding principles of the Constitution. He believed in the importance of a strong government with well-balanced powers.
Madison's notes from the Constitutional Convention, which he later struggled to publish, offer the only comprehensive history of the proceedings. Despite initially opposing a Bill of Rights, Madison's most notable accomplishment in Congress was the introduction and passage of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights. These amendments, ratified in 1791, codified protections for religious liberty, freedom of speech, and due process, among other fundamental rights.
In addition to his direct contributions to the Constitution, Madison also played a significant role in American politics and governance. He was a leader of a partisan press and served as a dedicated public servant for over 40 years. He was also a co-author of The Federalist Papers, which helped secure the passage of the U.S. Constitution.
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The Articles of Confederation
The final draft of the Articles of Confederation was completed on November 15, 1777, and submitted to the states for ratification. The Articles guaranteed each state's sovereignty, left the matter of western land claims to individual states, established a unicameral legislature with limited powers, and outlined state-by-state voting and proportional state tax burdens. Most delegates realised that the Articles were a flawed compromise but believed that some form of national government was better than none. Ratification by all 13 states was necessary to set the Confederation into motion. Virginia was the first state to ratify on December 16, 1777, and by February 1779, 12 states had ratified the Articles. Maryland was the last state to ratify on March 1, 1781, bringing into existence the Congress of the Confederation.
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The Federalist Papers
The authors of The Federalist Papers initially attempted to hide their identities due to Hamilton and Madison's attendance at the Constitutional Convention. However, their identities were correctly discerned by astute observers. After Hamilton's death in 1804, a list emerged claiming that he alone had written two-thirds of the essays. However, it is now believed that several of the essays were written by Madison, and a 1944 scholarly study by Douglass Adair, corroborated by a 1964 computer analysis of the text, assigned authorship as follows: Alexander Hamilton (51 articles: Nos. 1, 6–9, 11–13, 15–17, 21–36, 59–61, and 65–85) and James Madison (29 articles: Nos. 49–58 and 62–63).
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitutional Convention, headed by George Washington, was formed to write the Constitution.
Notable figures involved in the convention included James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Benjamin Franklin, James Wilson, George Mason, John Dickinson, and Gouverneur Morris.
The convention was assembled to revise the Articles of Confederation, which was America's first constitution. However, the delegates ultimately decided to create a new form of government, resulting in the Constitution.
