US Constitution What Year Was the Constitution Written?

What Year Was the Constitution Written?

What Year Was the Constitution Written?

Introduction:

The United States Constitution is one of the most important documents in the history of the United States. It is the supreme law of the United States, and it defines the structure, functions, and powers of the country’s government. The Constitution was written during a time when the American people were seeking to establish a new and more perfect union. This article will explore the history of the Constitution and the year in which it was written.

The Historical Background of the Constitution:

The Constitution was written in the years following the American Revolution. The American Revolution was a time of great upheaval, change, and uncertainty. In 1776, the thirteen British colonies in North America declared their independence from Great Britain, forming the United States of America. The new country faced numerous challenges, including the establishment of a stable and effective government.

The Articles of Confederation:

After the Declaration of Independence, the thirteen new states formed a weak government, the Articles of Confederation. The Articles were a loose alliance of sovereign states with a very limited central government. However, it soon became apparent that the Articles of Confederation were not effective in solving the problems facing the new nation.

Problems Associated with the Articles of Confederation:

The Articles of Confederation had several shortcomings. They did not give Congress the power to tax or regulate trade, and they did not establish an executive branch to enforce federal laws. The Articles also made it difficult to pass laws as nine of the thirteen states had to agree for them to be approved.

The meeting in Philadelphia:

In 1787, the states sent representatives to Philadelphia to attend the Constitutional Convention. The convention lasted from May 25 to September 17, 1787, and was held in Independence Hall. There were 55 delegates from 12 of the 13 states. Rhode Island was the only state that did not send representatives.

The Objective of the Constitutional Convention:

The objective of the Constitutional Convention was to create a stronger federal government that could address the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation. But the convention was not without its difficulties. The delegates had to balance the interests of small and large states, slave-owning and non-slave-owning states, manufacturing states and agrarian states.

The Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan:

The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were presented with two competing plans for the new government: the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. The Virginia Plan was proposed by James Madison of Virginia and called for a strong national government with a two-chamber legislature that would represent the states based on population. The New Jersey Plan was proposed by William Paterson of New Jersey and called for a unicameral legislature with equal representation for each state.

The Great Compromise:

The delegates eventually reached a compromise which became known as the Great Compromise. The Great Compromise created a bicameral legislature with the House of Representatives based on population, and the Senate having equal representation for each state.

The Constitution was Approved:

On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention approved the Constitution. The document was then sent to the states for ratification.

Ratification of the Constitution:

The Constitution was not immediately ratified by the states. There was a great deal of debate and discussion about the document. Those who supported the Constitution were known as Federalists. Those who opposed it were known as Anti-Federalists.

The Federalist Papers:

The Federalist Papers were a series of essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in support of the Constitution. The essays were published in New York newspapers and had a significant impact on the debate over ratification.

Adoption of the Bill of Rights:

To address the concerns of the Anti-Federalists, the Federalists agreed to adopt the Bill of Rights, which consisted of the first ten amendments to the Constitution. The Bill of Rights guarantees individual liberties and protections from government abuses.

The year the Constitution was written:

The Constitution was written in 1787. The Constitutional Convention began on May 25, 1787, and ended on September 17, 1787. The document was then sent to the states for ratification. The Constitution became the supreme law of the land when it was ratified by nine of the thirteen states on June 21, 1788.

Conclusion:

The year the Constitution was written is a critical point in American history. The document created the framework for the United States government and has been amended many times since its adoption. Today the Constitution remains a vital document that guarantees individual rights and protections for all.


What Year Was the Constitution Written?

The simple answer to this question is 1787; in that year, the Constitution was penned, edited, redrafted, and ratified on September 17th, 1787. However, the notion for new legislative documentation to replace the Articles of Confederation – the preexisting legislation existing at the time – had been instigated years prior to 1787; inadequacies considered to be latent within the text of the Articles of Confederation were deemed to foster a weak Central Government, as well as the division of the 13 States – those 2 elements were sufficient catalysts for reforming new legislature on the part of the Founding Fathers.

Explanation of the Answer to the Question: “What Year Was the Constitution Written?”

The Constitution of the United States is the structural legislative groundwork for the legislative system in use within the United States of America. The Constitution – while establishing guidelines with regard to a multitude of legal statutes – addresses the systematic legality expected amidst the interaction between the Federal Government of the United States and the citizens of the United States. The question “What Year Was the Constitution Written?” is a complex one; the reasons behind this complexity lay within the fact that the Constitution was something of a work-in-progress during the last 2 decades of the 18th century.

Timeline of the Constitution of the United States

The following events theoretically paved the way for not only the inception of the Constitution of the United States but its subsequent ratification, as well:

Mount Vernon Conference (1785)

In March of 1785, a Conference took place at Mt. Vernon, Virginia in order to discuss methods that would be undertaken with regard to the circumnavigation of the Potomac River; the Potomac River is a river that borders 2 of the original 13 states – Virginia and Maryland:

At the time, the Articles of Confederation did not express a definitive method with regard to a communal approach to landmarks bordered by multiple states, which resulted in a stifling of the nation’s ability to take advantage of the resources latent within the Potomac River

Alexander Hamilton and James Madison – noted Federalists, as well as noteworthy politicos including Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, were in attendance; upon further explication of the inefficiencies within the Articles of Confederation, a proposal was made to replace the document entirely

The Conference made way for the creation of the Constitution; while some may answer the question “What year was the Constitution Written” with an emphatic answer of “1787”, that answer – while true – does not provide proper acknowledgment of the importance of the Mount Vernon Conference

The Constitutional Convention (1787)

Subsequent to the discoveries made with regard to the Articles of Confederation taking place at the Mount Vernon Conference, the men in attendance were challenged with penning a new piece of legislation to replace the existing – and presumably flawed – Articles of Confederation:

The Constitutional Convention began on May 25th, 1787 and ended on September 17th, 1787; on September 17th, 1787, the Constitution was ratified and adopted as the primary piece of the legislature with regard to the United States of America

Over the course of the Constitutional Convention, the Constitution of the United States was edited and modified a variety of times prior to its eventual finalization