Isabella Carter
The US Constitution, the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution, was drafted in 1787 at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The convention was held to revise the Articles of Confederation, which had created a weak central government with no enforcement powers, but the delegates soon abandoned the Articles and drafted a new Constitution with a stronger national government. The Constitution was signed by 38 delegates on September 17, 1787, and ratified by 11 states, becoming the law of the land. While the Anti-Federalists opposed the Constitution due to its creation of a powerful central government, Thomas Jefferson argued that any constitution expires after 19 years and must be renewed.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of signing | September 17, 1787 |
| Number of signatures | 39 |
| Location | Independence Hall, Philadelphia |
| Type of government | Federal |
| Ratification requirements | 9 of 13 states |
| Ratification date | July 2, 1788 |
| Amendments | 27 |
| Bill of Rights | First 10 amendments |
| Judicial review | Supreme Court discretionary jurisdiction |
| Judicial powers | Criminal and civil contempt, injunctive relief, habeas corpus, imprisonment for contumacy, bad-faith litigation, and failure to obey a writ of mandamus |
| Powers of central government | Strong |
| Powers of state governments | Weak |
| Taxation | Direct taxation |
| Currency | Standard currency |
| Voting | Proportional representation in the lower house, equal representation in the Senate |
| Slavery | Protected |
| Validity | Lapsed in 1808, according to Thomas Jefferson |
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What You'll Learn
The Articles of Confederation
The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation became apparent once the war ended and the rationale of wartime necessity was removed. The central government's inability to raise funds or regulate trade made it difficult for the new nation to repay its debts from the Revolutionary War. There was also no executive or judiciary, and the government lacked the power to enforce laws or settle disputes between states.
In 1787, the Constitutional Convention was assembled in Philadelphia to address these issues and create new federal laws under the United States Constitution. The Articles of Confederation were in force from March 1, 1781, until 1789 when the present-day Constitution went into effect.
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The Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress convened on May 10, 1775, and functioned as a de facto national government at the outset of the Revolutionary War. It served as the provisional government of the U.S. during most of the war, raising armies, directing strategy, appointing diplomats, and making formal treaties. The Second Congress continued to meet until March 1, 1781, when the Articles of Confederation that established a new national government for the United States took effect.
Understanding the Constitution's First Establishment Clause
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The Federalists
The party was closely linked to the modernizing, urbanizing, and financial policies of Alexander Hamilton, who was among the first Federalists, along with James Madison and John Jay. From 1789 to 1801, the Federalist Party dominated the national government under Hamilton's leadership. They emphasized commercial and diplomatic harmony with Britain, domestic order and stability, and a strong national government under powerful executive and judicial branches.
The Federalist Party was the first political party in the United States, advocating for a strong central government. They supported the funding of the national debt, the assumption of state debts incurred during the Revolutionary War, the incorporation of a national bank, the support of manufactures and industrial development, and the use of tariffs to fund the treasury. They also favored centralization, federalism, modernization, industrialization, and protectionism.
The Federalist Party was opposed by the Anti-Federalists, who fought against the Constitution because it created a powerful central government that reminded them of the one they had just overthrown, and because it lacked a bill of rights. The Federalists, on the other hand, believed that a strong central government was necessary to address the nation's challenges and to promote liberty and union. They laid the foundations of a national economy, created a national judicial system, and formulated principles of foreign policy, including good relations with Britain and opposition to the French Revolution.
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The Anti-Federalists
The term Anti-Federalist was imposed upon the group by their opponents, the Federalists, who supported the creation of a stronger federal government. The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, wrote a series of 85 newspaper essays known as The Federalist Papers to advocate for their position. The political split between the two groups began in the summer of 1787 when 55 delegates attended the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia to draft a new plan of government.
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The Constitutional Convention
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention, including George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, and James Wilson, sought to create a stronger central government and address issues such as the payment of debts from the Revolutionary War and other domestic concerns. They debated and ratified the United States Constitution, establishing a federal government with more specific powers, including the authority to conduct foreign relations. The convention's work was approved by a majority of the states, and the Constitution came into effect in 1789, serving as the basis of the United States Government.
The delegates to the convention crafted a model of government that relied on a system of checks and balances by dividing federal authority between the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. They also bypassed the state legislatures during the ratification process, opting for special ratifying conventions in each state. The ratification by 9 of the 13 states enacted the new government, and 38 delegates, representing 12 states, signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787, with an additional signature added later, bringing the total to 39. The Constitutional Convention is considered one of the most significant events in American history, resulting in a constitution that stands today as one of the longest-lived and most emulated in the world.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution was written to apply to the 13 states that existed at the time. Rhode Island did not send delegates to the Constitutional Convention, but they were still one of the 13 states.
The Articles of Confederation was the first US Constitution. It was put into action on March 1, 1781, and it provided for a one-house legislature, a weak executive, no national power of taxation, a lack of standard currency, and voting by state.
The US Constitution was written by a "committee of detail" appointed by the Constitutional Convention. Edmund Randolph of Virginia wrote the first draft, which was then revised by James Wilson. Gouverneur Morris, later known as the "penman of the Constitution," did most of the work on the final version.
The US Constitution was written in 1787. The Constitutional Convention that drafted it assembled between May 25 and September 17 of that year.
