Eleanor Finch
The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land and the fundamental framework of America's system of government. It was written and signed in 1787, and it has been amended infrequently since then. The Constitution was necessary to address the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation, which gave the Confederation Congress rule-making powers and the ability to request funds from the states, but lacked enforcement powers and the ability to regulate commerce or print money. The Constitution was also needed to resolve disputes between the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, which threatened to tear the young country apart. Additionally, the Constitution addressed concerns about slavery and individual liberties, such as the right to hold opinions, publish them, and worship freely. The Federalists, who supported the Constitution, believed in the necessity of a strong central government, while the Anti-Federalists opposed it due to fears of centralized power and the absence of a bill of rights. The Constitution has been praised for its vision of freedom and its balance between state and federal powers, providing a stable foundation for the American government.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ratification | Ratification was by special state conventions (Art. VII). Nine states were required to ratify the Constitution. |
| Deputies to the convention | Appointed by the legislatures of the different states. |
| Amendments | 78 were offered by the state conventions. |
| Congressional representation | Based on population, with each state receiving one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate. |
| Slavery | The delegates agreed that the slave trade could continue until 1808. |
| Compromise | Delegates crafted compromises to represent different interests and views. |
| Centralized power | A powerful central government was created, with a system of checks and balances to ensure no branch had too much power. |
| Freedom | The Constitution put governance in the hands of the people, allowing them to select their form of government. |
| Inspiration | The Constitution has inspired democratic ideals around the world. |
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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, but it lacked enforcement powers, the ability to regulate commerce, and the ability to print money. The states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington feared their young country was on the brink of collapse.
The delegates debated various aspects of the new government, including congressional representation, the regulation of commerce, and the structure of the government. They crafted compromises, such as the Three-Fifths Compromise, to balance the interests of different states. The final document, the United States Constitution, became the fundamental framework of America's system of government, establishing a federal government with three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial.
The Constitution provided a system of checks and balances to ensure that no single branch held too much power and divided power between the federal government and the states. It gave Congress the power to make all laws "necessary and proper" for carrying out its explicit powers, allowing for flexibility in implementing those powers. The Constitution also outlined the process for ratification, requiring the approval of nine out of thirteen states to enact the new government.
The inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation led to the creation of a new constitution that provided a stronger central government, addressed pressing issues, and established a framework for governing the United States, protecting freedoms, and inspiring democratic ideals worldwide.
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The Constitutional Convention
Initially, the convention's purpose was to revise the Articles of Confederation, which was America's first constitution. However, by mid-June, the delegates had decided to completely redesign the government, creating a powerful central government with a system of checks and balances that separated powers between the three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial.
One of the fiercest arguments during the convention was over congressional representation. The delegates eventually 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 allowed the slave trade to continue until 1808.
The delegates also set the terms for ratifying the Constitution, bypassing the state legislatures and calling for special ratifying conventions in each state. They determined that ratification by nine of the thirteen states would be sufficient to enact the new government. 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 under the new government.
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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 branch, which makes the laws; the executive branch, which executes the laws; and the judicial branch, which interprets the laws. 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 written and signed in 1787 in Philadelphia, in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall. This was the same place the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were tasked with revising the existing government, but they ended up creating a completely new one. Wary of centralised power and loyal to their states, they crafted a powerful central government that represented a wide range of interests and views.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were appointed by the legislatures of the different states. There were no restrictions on the number of deputies a state could send, and Rhode Island and Providence Plantations did not send any deputies. The delegates met from May until September 1787 and deliberated over all aspects of the new government, including its structure and the specific powers of each branch. They also left considerable flexibility in implementing those powers, giving Congress the power to make all laws "necessary and proper" for carrying out its explicit powers.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were concerned about 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 country apart. The delegates decided to completely redesign the government, and one of their fiercest arguments was over congressional representation—whether it should be based on population or divided equally among the states. They 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 allowing the slave trade to continue until 1808.
The Constitution did not go into effect immediately after it was signed. It needed to be ratified by the states, and Article VII established the process for ratification, stating that "The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same." The founders bypassed the state legislatures, calling for special ratifying conventions in each state. Ratification by nine of the thirteen states was required to enact the new government, and on June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify. Notice of this ratification was received by Congress on July 2, 1788, and the Confederation Congress established March 4, 1789, as the date to begin operating under the new government.
The greatest contests over ratification occurred in Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York. New York ratified the Constitution by a majority of three votes (30-27), Massachusetts by 187 to 168, and Virginia by 89 to 79. In total, seventy-eight amendments were offered by the state conventions, exclusive of Rhode Island's twenty-one and those demanded by the first convention in North Carolina. Many of these covered the same topics, and Professor Ames gives 124 as the whole number, including those of Rhode Island, North Carolina, and the Bills of Rights.
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Amendments
The US Constitution is the shortest and oldest national constitution in the world. It is neither too rigid nor too flexible, and it has inspired the trajectory of world history. It is a charter of government that came to be ratified by the states and continues to be the supreme law of the land. The Constitution is a powerful vision of freedom, allowing citizens to select their own form of democratic government.
The Constitution was written and signed in 1787 and needed to be approved by the people through the ratification process. Article VII of the Constitution established that ratification of nine states would be sufficient for the establishment of the Constitution. The greatest contests during the ratification process occurred in Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were elected as members of the First Congress, including James Madison, who served in the House of Representatives. Madison introduced a bill of rights, and Congress crafted his proposals into twelve amendments. The states ratified ten of them, which became known as the Bill of Rights.
Two hundred years later, in 1992, the states ratified the eleventh of these original amendments, dealing with congressional pay increases. Over the centuries, Congress continued to enact all laws deemed "necessary and proper" to carry out the powers enumerated in the Constitution.
The Eighteenth Amendment (Prohibition) is the only amendment to have been repealed. It was repealed by adding another amendment, the Twenty-first Amendment, which included a notation stating that the Eighteenth Amendment was repealed.
The Twentieth Amendment, also known as the "Lame Duck" Amendment, changed the beginning of the terms of the President, Vice President, and members of Congress. It was adopted upon the ratification by the thirty-sixth state in 1933.
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Freedom and democracy
The US Constitution is the world's oldest national constitution and has been an inspiration that changed the trajectory of world history for the perpetual benefit of mankind. It is a charter of government that came to be ratified by the states and continues to be the supreme law of the land. It is the fundamental framework of America's system of government and has been an example of freedom and democracy in the world.
The Constitution was written and signed in 1787 in Philadelphia, in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were wary about centralized power and loyal to their states, so they created a powerful central government. Representing wildly different interests and views, they crafted compromises. The Constitution separates the powers of government into three branches: the legislative branch, which makes the laws; the executive branch, which executes the laws; and the judicial branch, which interprets the laws. It 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 delegates deliberated over all aspects of the new government, including its structure and the specific powers of each branch. They also discussed congressional representation and whether it should be based on population or divided equally among the states. They agreed to a compromise 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 allowed the slave trade to continue until 1808.
The Constitution was necessary to provide a vision of freedom and to allow the people to select their own form of democratic government. Benjamin Franklin, addressing the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787, asked: “Do you have a right to hold opinions that differ from others around you? Can you write and publish what you think? Can you worship as you believe? Can you protest to your government if you disapprove of its policies?” The Constitution was also necessary 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 Constitution provided a stronger central government to address these issues and prevent the young country from collapsing.
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