Simone Lawson
The United States Constitution is one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world. Drafted in 1787, it was intended as a revision of the Articles of Confederation, which gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but lacked enforcement powers and the ability to regulate commerce or print money. The Constitution was crafted by 38 delegates (with a 39th delegate signing on behalf of an absent delegate from Delaware) who represented a wide range of interests and views. Despite some dissatisfaction with the final document, it was ratified by 11 states, with New York as the lone remaining state, and has since served as the foundation of the US government, with amendments made over time to protect the rights and liberties of the American people.
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What You'll Learn
- The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 delegates
- The Articles of Confederation gave Congress the power to make rules but not enforce them
- The Connecticut Compromise proposed proportional representation for seats in the House of Representatives
- The US Constitution was drafted by educated white men of property
- The US Constitution was intended to revise the Articles of Confederation but introduced a new form of government
The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 delegates
The US Constitution, the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution, was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 delegates. This group of delegates was tasked with revising the Articles of Confederation, which was America's first constitution. However, they ended up replacing it with a new constitution, creating a powerful central government. The delegates represented a wide range of interests and views, and they crafted compromises to address the concerns of the states.
The Constitution was created at a time when the young nation was facing significant challenges, including disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade. The Articles of Confederation had given the Confederation Congress rule-making and funding powers, but it lacked enforcement authority and the ability to regulate commerce or print money. Recognizing the need for a stronger national government, the delegates established three branches: a bicameral legislature, an executive official (not a monarch), and a judiciary. Each branch had separate powers, acting as checks and balances to prevent any one branch from having too much power.
The Federalists, who supported the Constitution, believed that a strong national government was necessary for the United States to function effectively. On the other hand, the Anti-Federalists, who opposed the idea, feared that a powerful central authority would infringe on state rights and individual liberties. The Anti-Federalists advocated for a bill of rights to protect these liberties, which was eventually added to the Constitution as a compromise.
The Constitution's first three articles embody the separation of powers, outlining the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. The legislative branch consists of the bicameral Congress, the executive branch is led by the President, and the judiciary includes the Supreme Court and other federal courts. The Constitution also established the procedure for ratification, bypassing state legislatures and calling for special ratifying conventions in each state.
The process of drafting and ratifying the Constitution was a complex and contentious one, involving passionate debates and compromises. The final document has had a lasting impact on the United States, providing a framework for the government and shaping the nation's future. The contributions of key figures like Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison, and George Washington were instrumental in driving the Constitution towards ratification and securing a prosperous future for the country.
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The Articles of Confederation gave Congress the power to make rules but not enforce them
The Articles of Confederation, officially the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, served as the United States' first constitution. It was 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. The Articles were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and came into force on March 1, 1781, after being ratified by all 13 colonial states. The Articles 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 Articles of Confederation gave Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it had no enforcement powers, 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 limitations on the central government, such as in assembling delegates, raising funds, and regulating commerce, limited its ability to govern the continually growing 13 colonial states.
The weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation became apparent over time. Congress commanded little respect and no support from state governments anxious to maintain their power. Congress could not raise funds, regulate trade, or conduct foreign policy without the voluntary agreement of the states. For example, the 1783 Treaty of Paris, which ended hostilities with Great Britain, languished in Congress for several months because too few delegates were present at any one time to constitute a quorum so that it could be ratified. Congress had no power to enforce attendance, and rarely did more than half of the roughly sixty delegates attend a session of Congress at the time.
Recognizing the need to improve the government, Congress tried to strengthen the Articles, but problems persisted. In 1784, Congress requested that the states grant it limited power over commerce for a period of fifteen years, but many of the states did not comply. In 1785, twenty-seven-year-old delegate James Monroe again stressed the need for increased congressional power over commerce. Congress appointed a committee, chaired by Monroe, to investigate the problem. On February 16, 1785, the committee recommended amending the Articles of Confederation so that Congress would have power over commerce. Although Congress sent the proposed amendment to the state legislatures, along with a letter urging immediate action, few states responded.
In September 1786, delegates from five states met at what became known as the Annapolis Convention to discuss the need for reversing the protectionist interstate trade barriers that each state had erected. Shortly thereafter, as more states became interested in meeting to revise the Articles, a gathering was set in Philadelphia on May 25, 1787. This became the Constitutional Convention. Alexander Hamilton and a few other prominent political thinkers in the fledgling union began asking for changes to the Articles that would strengthen the powers afforded to the central government. The delegates quickly agreed that the defects of the frame of government could not be remedied by altering the Articles, and so they went beyond their mandate by authoring a completely new form of government.
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The Connecticut Compromise proposed proportional representation for seats in the House of Representatives
The Constitution of the United States was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 delegates, with a total of 39 signatures. The delegates were tasked with revising the existing government but ended up creating a powerful central government with a completely new form of government. The Connecticut Compromise, also known as the Great Compromise of 1787 or Sherman Compromise, was an agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that defined the legislative structure and representation each state would have under the United States Constitution.
The delegates from smaller states continued to protest proportional representation in the Senate, with some threatening to withdraw. The Convention reached a deadlock over the proposal to grant each state an equal vote in the upper house. The delegates from larger states argued that their states contributed more financially and defensively to the nation and, therefore, ought to have a greater say in the central government. This stalemate between the delegates from larger and smaller states led to the Connecticut Compromise, which ended the stalemate and led to numerous other compromises in a spirit of accommodation.
The Connecticut Compromise proposed by Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut, was a modified form of the Virginia Plan, also known as the Randolph Plan, proposed by Edmund Randolph of Virginia. The Virginia Plan proposed a bicameral legislature with membership in both houses allocated to each state proportional to its population. The Connecticut Compromise modified this by proposing equal representation in the Senate and proportional representation in the House of Representatives. This compromise continued to serve the self-interests of small-state political leaders, who were assured of access to the Senate.
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The US Constitution was drafted by educated white men of property
The US Constitution was drafted by 39 delegates, including James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, who were educated white men of property. They were loyal to their states and wary of centralized power. The delegates represented a wide range of interests and views and crafted compromises to create a powerful central government.
The drafting of the Constitution, also known as its framing, took place at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. The convention was held in response to concerns about the Articles of Confederation, which gave the Confederation Congress rule-making and funding powers but lacked enforcement powers and the ability to regulate commerce or print money.
The delegates appointed a Committee of Detail, including John Rutledge, Edmund Randolph, Nathaniel Gorham, Oliver Ellsworth, and James Wilson, to draft a detailed constitution. This committee proposed proportional representation for the House of Representatives and equal representation for each state in the Senate. A subsequent Committee of Style and Arrangement, including Alexander Hamilton, William Samuel Johnson, Rufus King, James Madison, and Gouverneur Morris, distilled the final draft constitution from the approved articles.
The Constitution introduced a new form of government, with three branches: the legislative, consisting of Congress; the executive, consisting of the President and subordinate officers; and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts. It also established the procedure for ratification by the 13 states, bypassing state legislatures and calling for special ratifying conventions in each state.
The Constitution was signed by 38 delegates on September 17, 1787, with George Reed signing on behalf of the absent John Dickinson, bringing the total to 39 signatures. The document was then forwarded to the states for ratification, with ratification by 9 of the 13 states required to enact the new government.
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The US Constitution was intended to revise the Articles of Confederation but introduced a new form of government
The US Constitution was initially intended to revise the Articles of Confederation, which was the nation's first form of government during the American Revolution. The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and came into force on March 1, 1781. It served as the United States' first constitution.
The Articles of Confederation established a weak confederal government, with limited powers to assemble delegates, raise funds, and regulate commerce. It also lacked enforcement powers and could not print money. This led to concerns that the young nation was on the brink of collapse due to disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and George Washington were among those who advocated for a stronger central government.
In May 1786, Charles Pinckney of South Carolina proposed that Congress revise the Articles of Confederation to address these issues. However, by the time the Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787, the delegates had decided to completely redesign the government. They recognized the need for a powerful central government to address the challenges facing the nation. The Federalists supported this idea, while the Anti-Federalists opposed it, fearing a loss of local autonomy.
The delegates engaged in heated debates and crafted compromises to represent their different interests and views. They agreed to proportional representation in the House of Representatives based on population and equal representation for each state in the Senate. They also addressed the thorny issue of slavery, temporarily resolving it by allowing the slave trade to continue until 1808.
On September 17, 1787, 38 delegates signed the new Constitution, with George Reed signing on behalf of the absent John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total to 39 signatures. The document introduced a completely new form of government, with a powerful central government and a system of checks and balances. It stands today as one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world.
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitution was originally intended as a revision of the Articles of Confederation, which gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it lacked enforcement powers and couldn't regulate commerce or print money.
James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington were concerned about the young country collapsing and played a significant role in convincing Congress to revise the Articles of Confederation. Other key figures include John Dickinson of Delaware, and Benjamin Franklin.
Some delegates, including George Mason, opposed the Constitution because they believed it gave too much power to the federal government and infringed on states' rights. They were known as Anti-Federalists. Additionally, some believed it lacked a bill of rights to protect individual liberties.
Ratification required the approval of nine out of the 13 states, bypassing the state legislatures. The process involved special ratifying conventions in each state. The Federalists, who supported the Constitution, worked to secure ratification, while the Anti-Federalists tried to convince the states to reject it.
The Bill of Rights, introduced in 1789, enumerated and made legally enforceable the fundamental freedoms alluded to in the Declaration of Independence and implicit in the Constitution. James Madison proposed amendments to the Constitution to protect individual liberties and ensure limited powers of the federal government.
