Jonah Patel
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention, representing 12 states (all except Rhode Island, which refused to send delegates). The delegates who signed the Constitution included George Washington, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. Benjamin Franklin, aged 81, was the oldest signer, while Jonathan Dayton, aged 26, was the youngest.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of people selected to attend the Constitutional Convention | 74 |
| Number of people who attended the Constitutional Convention | 55 |
| Number of people who signed the Constitution | 39 |
| Number of states represented at the Constitutional Convention | 12 |
| Number of states that needed to ratify the Constitution for it to become law | 9 |
| Age of the youngest signer | 26 (Jonathan Dayton) |
| Age of the oldest signer | 81 (Benjamin Franklin) |
| Signers who were born outside the thirteen colonies | Pierce Butler, Thomas Fitzsimons, James McHenry, William Paterson (Ireland), Robert Morris (England), James Wilson (Scotland), Alexander Hamilton (West Indies) |
| Signers who did not serve in the Continental or Confederation Congresses | Richard Bassett (Delaware), John Blair (Virginia), David Brearley (New Jersey), Jacob Broom (Delaware), Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (South Carolina) |
| Signer who missed sessions due to illness and authorized someone else to sign on their behalf | John Dickinson (authorized George Read to sign) |
| Signers who left the convention early | Caleb Strong, William Paterson |
| Signer who played a significant role in the creation of the Constitution | James Madison (known as the "Father of the Constitution") |
| Signer who was the most famous figure in United States history | George Washington |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
- George Washington: Revolutionary War general, first US president, and president of the convention
- Benjamin Franklin: oldest signer at 81, delivered an address endorsing the Constitution
- James Madison: contributed many ideas, known as the 'Father of the Constitution'
- Alexander Hamilton: born in the West Indies, approved and signed the Constitution
- William Jackson: convention's secretary, added a note to verify four amendments
George Washington: Revolutionary War general, first US president, and president of the convention
George Washington was a central figure in the American Revolution, the first US president, and the president of the Constitutional Convention.
Washington was appointed commander of the Continental Army in 1775, despite having little experience in commanding large, conventional military forces. His leadership and fortitude led the American military to victory at Yorktown and independence in 1781. As a commander, he made bold decisions, such as placing heavy guns from Fort Ticonderoga on Dorchester Heights. He also created three new military badges to honour the service of ordinary soldiers.
In 1789, Washington was inaugurated as the first US president. He set the template for presidential leadership and played a crucial role in shaping the nation's federal government. He had the unique opportunity to fill the entire body of federal judges, including the Supreme Court. He also delivered the first State of the Union address, covering defence, foreign policy, economic, education, and immigration topics. Washington's cabinet included Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State, Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of Treasury, Henry Knox as Secretary of War, and Edmund Randolph as Attorney General.
As president of the Constitutional Convention, Washington helped pave the way for the convention in Philadelphia, where he presided over the creation of the new constitution from May to September 1787. He understood the importance of public perception and worked to gain support for the constitution, knowing the difficulty of obtaining the consent of the states.
Washington's public career and influence extended beyond his military and political roles. He was also an affluent and influential planter in Virginia, playing a leading part in the state's struggles against British rule.
Signs of Solicitation: What to Look Out For
You may want to see also
Benjamin Franklin: oldest signer at 81, delivered an address endorsing the Constitution
Benjamin Franklin was the oldest signer of the US Constitution at 81 years old. He was infirm and had to be carried to the Constitutional Convention in a sedan chair. Franklin was a Founding Father of the United States, a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. He was also a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
On the final day of the Constitutional Convention, Franklin delivered an address endorsing the Constitution. The address, read by James Wilson, was intended to gain the support of critics and create a sense of common accord. Franklin proposed that the Constitution be endorsed by the delegates as individual witnesses of the unanimous consent of the states present. This proposal was agreed upon, and the signers subscribed their names as witnesses to what was done in the convention.
The language of the concluding endorsement, conceived by Gouverneur Morris and presented to the convention by Franklin, was made intentionally ambiguous to win over the votes of dissenting delegates. Advocates for the new frame of government wanted to obtain unanimous support from the delegations from each state. They feared that many of the delegates would refuse to give their individual assent to the Constitution.
The signing of the United States Constitution occurred on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Of the 74 delegates chosen to attend the Constitutional Convention, 55 attended and 39 signed. Benjamin Franklin was the first signer to die, in April 1790, while James Madison was the last, dying in June 1836.
Presidential Signing Statements: Constitutional or Overreach?
You may want to see also
James Madison: contributed many ideas, known as the 'Father of the Constitution'
James Madison, born in 1751 into a prominent slave-owning planter family in Virginia, was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison played a pivotal role in drafting, promoting, and explaining the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights, earning him the title "Father of the Constitution".
Madison was dissatisfied with the weak national government established by the Articles of Confederation, so he helped organize the Constitutional Convention, which produced a new constitution designed to strengthen republican government against democratic assembly. He was a chief author of the Bill of Rights and, thus, of the First Amendment, championing religious liberty, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press. In June 1789, he introduced in Congress a series of proposed amendments that formed the core of what became the Bill of Rights in the Constitution. Madison also emphasized the role of public opinion in a republic, arguing that basic rights declared in the Constitution would influence public opinion against their abridgment and help restrain intolerant majorities.
Madison's records of the debates of the Constitutional Convention, published after his death, are the single most important source for detailing these deliberations. He also kept notes on the Federal Convention of 1787, which he struggled to publish due to fear of misrepresentation and controversy. Madison's partnership with George Washington was key to unlocking the door to the convention hall. He also joined forces with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay to write a series of essays that could help turn public opinion toward ratification, becoming a prime author of what became known as The Federalist.
Madison's model of a "liberty-protecting constitutional government" has been described as "the most influential American idea in global political history". Despite criticism of his tenure as president, he demonstrated his commitment to the First Amendment by refusing to muzzle the press during the War of 1812.
Who Immortalized the Signing of the Constitution?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Alexander Hamilton: born in the West Indies, approved and signed the Constitution
Alexander Hamilton was born in either 1755 or 1757 in Charlestown on the British island of Nevis in the West Indies. Hamilton was born out of wedlock to Rachel Fawcett Lavine and James Hamilton, who abandoned the family in 1765 or 1766. At the age of 11, Hamilton became a clerk in the counting house of two New York merchants who traded with the Province of New York and New England. Locals recognised his remarkable intelligence after he wrote a letter describing a hurricane that hit the island of St. Croix, and raised money to send him to school in Britain's North American colonies. In the autumn of 1773, he entered King's College (later Columbia) in New York.
Hamilton was a founding father of the United States, who fought in the American Revolutionary War, helped draft the Constitution, and advocated for its ratification. He was a New York delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a major author of the Federalist Papers, and the first secretary of the treasury of the United States from 1789 to 1795. Hamilton argued in favour of a strong central government for the new United States, and his interpretations of the Constitution, as set forth in The Federalist Papers, remain highly influential and continue to be cited in scholarly studies and court decisions.
Hamilton's reputation was mostly negative in the Jeffersonian and Jacksonian democracy eras, where he was criticised as a centralizer and accused of being a proponent of monarchy. However, in the later Progressive Era, figures such as Herbert Croly, Henry Cabot Lodge, and Theodore Roosevelt praised Hamilton's leadership as a proponent of a strong national government. Hamilton's legacy has been revisited in the 21st century with the popularity of the Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Virginia's Constitution Signatories: Understanding Their Historical Impact
You may want to see also
William Jackson: convention's secretary, added a note to verify four amendments
The Signing of the United States Constitution occurred on September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention, representing 12 states (all but Rhode Island, which declined to send delegates), endorsed the Constitution. The delegates' work included a statement pronouncing the document's adoption by the states present, a formulaic dating of its adoption, along with the signatures of those endorsing it.
The convention's secretary, William Jackson, added a note to verify four amendments made by hand to the final document, and signed the note to authenticate its validity. Jackson was responsible for maintaining the secrecy of the Convention's proceedings, keeping official minutes, and destroying many of the proceedings' other records. He signed the document "Attest William Jackson Secretary" to attest to four corrections which had been made to the document. Jackson was sent to the Congress of the Confederation, assembled in New York City, with a copy of the Constitution, and was honoured to read it out to the Congress just days after the signing, on September 20, 1787.
William Jackson was born in the county of Cumberland, England, and was raised in Charleston, South Carolina, by a family friend, Owen Roberts, a prominent merchant and commander of a militia battalion. After the war broke out in 1775, Roberts joined the Patriot side, and Jackson followed. Roberts likely helped Jackson obtain a position as a cadet in the 1st South Carolina Regiment. Jackson served with distinction in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. After the war, he served as one of President George Washington's personal secretaries.
The Ismaili Constitution: A Historical Signing
You may want to see also
