Jonah Patel
The United States Constitution, the country's current framework of government, did not go into effect immediately after it was signed. The document, which was signed in 1787, needed to be ratified by the people. Ratification by 9 of the 13 states was required to enact the new government. The Constitution was controversial, with Anti-Federalists arguing that it created a powerful central government and lacked a bill of rights. However, Federalists believed that a strong central government was necessary to address the nation's challenges. The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware on December 7, 1787, and on June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to do so, allowing the Constitution to become the official framework of the US government.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for revision | The Articles of Confederation were inadequate and created a weak, ineffective central government |
| Date of revision | May 1787 |
| Location | Philadelphia |
| Number of delegates | 38 |
| Number of signatures | 39 |
| Number of states needed for ratification | 9 |
| First state to ratify | Delaware |
| Date of ratification | June 21, 1788 |
| Date new government began | March 4, 1789 |
| First President | George Washington |
| First Vice President | John Adams |
| Number of amendments | 17 |
| Number of amendments ratified | 12 |
| Number of amendments that became the Bill of Rights | 10 |
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What You'll Learn
The Articles of Confederation were inadequate
The Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states. However, it had no enforcement powers, couldn't regulate commerce, print money, or effectively support a war effort. It couldn't tax and had little power to settle disputes between states. The states retained considerable power, and the central government was weak and ineffective. This led to disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening to tear the young country apart.
The Articles of Confederation were established as a "league of friendship" and a constitution for the 13 sovereign and independent states after the American Revolution. However, the Articles seemed inadequate to many, including James Madison, who believed that a confederacy of independent states was futile and weak. Madison was convinced that the Articles had to be replaced, as they did not provide a strong enough central government to regulate commerce and set commercial policy.
The inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation led to calls for a constitutional convention to reevaluate the nation's governing document. Representatives from all 13 states convened in Philadelphia in 1787 to participate in the Convention, which was tasked with revising the Articles of Confederation. However, it quickly became clear that the delegates were working towards forming an entirely new form of government. The delegates were wary of centralized power and loyal to their states, so they created a powerful central government with a system of checks and balances to ensure no one branch had too much power.
The ratification process for the new Constitution was challenging, as it required approval from the people and the states. The Anti-Federalists opposed the Constitution because it created a powerful central government, and it lacked a bill of rights. However, the Federalists, led by Hamilton and Madison, lobbied for votes in favour of ratification, and eventually, the Constitution was ratified by the required number of states. The new Constitution addressed the inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation by creating a stronger central government and providing a framework for the country's government and its relationship with the states.
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The need for a stronger central government
The United States Constitution is the fundamental framework of America's system of government. It separates the powers of government into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. It also sets up a system of checks and balances to ensure no one branch has too much power, and divides power between the states and the federal government.
The Constitution was ratified in 1789, superseding the Articles of Confederation, which had been in force since 1781. The Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, created a weak and ineffective central government. It gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it had no enforcement powers, could not regulate commerce, print money, or effectively support a war effort, and had little power to settle quarrels between states. The states retained considerable power, and the central government was unable to regulate commerce or taxation.
The Constitutional Convention was assembled in Philadelphia in 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation. However, it became clear that a completely new form of government was needed. The delegates, representing diverse interests and views, crafted compromises to create a powerful central government while remaining wary of centralized power and loyal to their states. The Federalists believed that a strong central government was necessary to face the nation's challenges, while the Anti-Federalists opposed the creation of a powerful central government that reminded them of the one they had just overthrown.
The ratification process was challenging, and the Federalists had to work hard to convince enough states to ratify the Constitution. The "vote now, amend later" compromise played a crucial role in securing victory in several states, and the Bill of Rights was later added to address concerns about the protection of individual rights. The Constitution eventually came into effect in 1789, establishing a stronger central government with the power to regulate commerce, taxation, and other national issues.
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Compromises were required for ratification
The U.S. Constitution is the fundamental framework of America's system of government. It separates the powers of government into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. It also sets up a system of checks and balances to ensure no branch has too much power, divides power between the states and the federal government, and describes the purposes and duties of the government.
The Constitution was ratified by the states and is the supreme law of the land. However, the road to ratification was long and arduous, requiring several compromises along the way. The delegates who assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787 were tasked with revising the Articles of Confederation, but they soon decided to completely redesign the government. 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. They also agreed to count enslaved Africans as three-fifths of a person, and temporarily resolved the issue of slavery by agreeing that the slave trade could continue until 1808.
The founders set the terms for ratifying the Constitution, bypassing the state legislatures and calling for special ratifying conventions in each state. Ratification by 9 of the 13 states was required to enact the new government. The Federalists, who believed in a strong central government, faced opposition from the Anti-Federalists, who fought against the Constitution because it reminded them of the one they had just overthrown, and because it lacked a bill of rights. The ratification campaign was hard-fought, and the tide turned in Massachusetts with the "vote now, amend later" compromise, which helped secure victory in that state and eventually in the final holdouts.
On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, and the Confederation Congress established March 4, 1789, as the date to begin operating under the new government. The Constitution was the result of months of passionate and thoughtful deliberation among the delegates, and it stands today as one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world.
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The Anti-Federalists opposed the Constitution
The Anti-Federalists' opposition to the Constitution was a powerful force in the origin of the Bill of Rights, which protects Americans' civil liberties. They believed that the new national government would be too powerful, given the absence of a bill of rights. This view was informed by the recent overthrowing of a government with centralised power.
The Anti-Federalists included some notable figures, including Patrick Henry, an outspoken member of the group. Other prominent Anti-Federalists included Virginia's George Mason, Richard Henry Lee, Massachusetts' Samuel Adams, Elbridge Gerry, and Mercy Otis Warren, a poet, historian, and patriot who wrote Observations on the New Constitution under the pen name "A Columbian Patriot".
The Anti-Federalists faced an uphill battle during the ratification process, as Americans largely believed that the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, were deeply flawed. The Federalists were able to frame the debate as a choice between the new Constitution and the Articles of Confederation, which many saw as ineffective. Despite this, the Anti-Federalists almost won, and their opposition led to the adoption of the First Amendment and the other nine amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights.
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The Constitution was amended post-ratification
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. The Constitution did not go into effect immediately after it was signed by the delegates. It had to be approved by the people through a ratification process.
Article VII of the Constitution established the process for ratification, stating that the ratification of the conventions of nine states would be sufficient for the establishment of the Constitution. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify, and the Confederation Congress established March 4, 1789, as the date to begin operating a new government under the Constitution.
The Constitution has been amended several times since its ratification. Article V of the Constitution outlines the two-step process for amending the nation's plan of government. Amendments must be properly proposed and ratified before becoming operative. This process is designed to balance the need for change with the need for stability. An amendment may be proposed and sent to the states for ratification by either a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the state legislatures.
To become part of the Constitution, an amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states (38 of 50 states). The Archivist of the United States administers the ratification process, and upon ratification, the Archivist issues a certificate proclaiming that the amendment has become an operative part of the Constitution. The ratification process can include a deadline set by Congress, as affirmed by the Supreme Court in 1939 in Coleman v. Miller. In the absence of a deadline, an amendment can be pending indefinitely.
Since the Constitution was put into operation in 1789, there have been 27 amendments, with approximately 11,848 proposals introduced in Congress. The first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791. The Twentieth Amendment (1933) is another notable example, as it changed the date on which a new President, Vice President, and Congress take office, shortening the transition period.
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America and the fundamental framework of America's system of government. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789.
The Constitution did not go into effect immediately after it was signed because it needed to be approved by the people through the ratification process. Article VII of the Constitution established that ratification by the conventions of nine states would be sufficient for the establishment of the Constitution. New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution on June 21, 1788.
The Anti-Federalists opposed the Constitution because it created a powerful central government that reminded them of the one they had just overthrown, and it lacked a bill of rights. Some states also voiced opposition on the grounds that it did not provide protection for rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press.
