Eleanor Finch
The US Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 out of 41 delegates, and ratified by 11 states. The road to ratification, however, was long and arduous. The Continental Congress, which still functioned at irregular intervals, passed a resolution to put the new Constitution into operation. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island approved the document, and the Bill of Rights was ratified at the end of the next year. The US Constitution was formed to replace the Articles of Confederation, which gave the Confederation 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.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of signing | September 17, 1787 |
| Number of delegates who signed | 38 out of 41 |
| Date of ratification | June 21, 1788 |
| Number of states required for ratification | 9 out of 13 |
| First state to ratify | Delaware |
| Date first state ratified | December 7, 1787 |
| Date of inauguration of first President | April 30, 1787 |
| First President | George Washington |
| Previous form of government | Articles of Confederation |
| Date Articles of Confederation adopted | November 15, 1777 |
| Date present-day Constitution went into effect | 1789 |
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What You'll Learn
The Articles of Confederation were inadequate
The Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, was inadequate for several reasons. Firstly, it gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it lacked enforcement powers. This meant that individual states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade could not be effectively resolved, threatening to tear the young nation apart.
Secondly, the Articles could not regulate commerce or print money, further hindering the country's stability and growth. The lack of centralized power and the absence of a strong federal government resulted in states acting more like independent, sovereign countries. This dynamic was not conducive to a unified nation and caused friction and discord.
The inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation became apparent just a few years after the Revolutionary War, when prominent figures like James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington feared that their country was on the brink of collapse. They advocated for a stronger central government and a reevaluation of the nation's governing document.
The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787, with delegates initially gathering to revise the Articles. However, they soon decided to completely redesign the government, creating a powerful central government with a new constitution. This new constitution, signed by 38 delegates on September 17, 1787, addressed the inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation and provided a stronger framework for the young nation.
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Fear of a young country collapsing
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 out of 41 delegates present, and it was not binding until it was ratified by nine of the 13 existing states. The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, and by June 1788, only eight of the 13 colonies had ratified the Constitution. It was not until June 21, 1788, that New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, making it the official framework of the government of the United States of America.
The United States Constitution came into effect in 1789, replacing the Articles of Confederation, which served as the country's first constitution. The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777 and were in force from March 1, 1781, until 1789. The Articles of Confederation gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it lacked enforcement powers, could not regulate commerce, and could not print money.
James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington feared that the young country was on the brink of collapse due to the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation. The states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart. Thus, there was a strong fear of a young country collapsing, which led to the adoption of the United States Constitution.
The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation. However, by mid-June, the delegates had decided to completely redesign the government. The delegates compromised on congressional representation, agreeing to give each state one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate. They also agreed to count enslaved Africans as three-fifths of a person and temporarily resolved the issue of slavery by allowing the slave trade to continue until 1808.
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Compromises were crafted to appease different interests
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 represented "wildly different interests and views", and it was clear to some of America's leaders that the future stability of the country required a stronger, more centralized government. The delegates crafted compromises to appease these different interests and views. One of the fiercest arguments was over congressional representation—whether it should be based on population or divided equally among the states. The framers compromised by giving each state one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate.
Slavery was another contentious issue that threatened to derail the Union. The delegates agreed to a compromise, deciding that enslaved Africans would be counted as three-fifths of a person, and that the slave trade could continue until 1808.
Alexander Hamilton of New York led the call for a constitutional convention to re-evaluate the nation's governing document, and he, along with James Madison and George Washington, helped convince Congress to organize a Grand Convention of state delegates to work on revising the Articles of Confederation. Hamilton and Madison also led the lobbying efforts for votes in favor of ratifying the Constitution, producing the 85 essays known as "The Federalist Papers" that explained and defended how the proposed new government would function.
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The need for a stronger, more centralized government
The United States Constitution, which was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 out of 41 delegates, was an extraordinary achievement. The delegates, representing diverse interests and views, created a powerful central government while being cautious about centralized power and loyal to their states. This was done to address the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation, which served as the United States' first constitution and was in force from March 1, 1781, until 1789.
The Articles of Confederation gave the Confederation Congress the authority to make rules and request funds from the states, but it lacked enforcement powers and could not regulate commerce or print money. This led to disputes among the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening the young nation's stability. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington feared that without a stronger, more centralized government, the country was on the brink of collapse.
Alexander Hamilton, a prominent figure from New York, led the call for a constitutional convention to reevaluate the nation's governing document. He helped convince Congress to organize a Grand Convention of state delegates to work on revising the Articles of Confederation. The Confederation Congress endorsed his initiative, and representatives from all 13 states were invited to the Convention, which assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787.
The delegates to the Convention were tasked with revising the existing government but ultimately created a completely new one. They compromised on contentious issues, such as congressional representation, by agreeing to give each state one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate. They also addressed the issue of slavery, agreeing to count enslaved Africans as three-fifths of a person and allowing the slave trade to continue until 1808.
The new Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island approved the document. The journey to ratification was long and challenging, but the Constitution has endured and is one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world.
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The Grand Convention of state delegates
The delegates of the convention, representing wildly different interests and views, met behind closed doors and swore secrecy so they could speak freely. They had gathered to revise the Articles of Confederation, but by mid-June, they had decided to completely redesign the government. There was little agreement about what form it would take, and one of the fiercest arguments was over congressional representation. Should it be based on population or divided equally among the states? The framers compromised by giving each state one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate.
Slavery was another contentious issue that threatened to derail the Union. The delegates agreed to count enslaved Africans as three-fifths of a person, and they temporarily resolved the matter by deciding that the slave trade could continue until 1808. On September 17, 1787, 38 out of 41 delegates present signed the new U.S. Constitution, agreeing to bypass the state legislatures and instead call for special ratifying conventions in each state. Ratification by 9 of the 13 states was required to enact the new government.
The journey to ratification was long and arduous. The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut. However, some states voiced opposition to the Constitution on the grounds that it did not provide protection for rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. It was not until June 21, 1788, that the Constitution became the official framework of the government of the United States, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it. The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island finally approved the document.
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Frequently asked questions
The Articles of Confederation, the United States' first constitution, gave the Confederation 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.
A stronger, more centralized government.
The Constitutional Convention was a meeting of delegates from 12 colonies (later 13) in Philadelphia in May 1787. The delegates met to revise the Articles of Confederation but soon decided to completely redesign the government.
The delegates agreed to a powerful central government, with congressional representation based on population, with each state receiving one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two in the Senate. They also agreed to count enslaved Africans as three-fifths of a person and to allow the slave trade to continue until 1808.
The new constitution required ratification by nine of the 13 states.
