Year The Constitution Went Into Effect
| Considered by many as the oldest living written document, the US Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787 and since has become an integral part of the law and political structure of the United States. |
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The convention was held from May 25 to September 17, 1787 at the State House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The convention was convened with the objective of addressing problems in the United States following independence from Great Britain and also included formation of a new government. The entire convention was presided over by George Washington and it finally culminated with the adoption of the US Constitution.
The process was initiated when commissioners from five states held a meeting in the Annapolis Convention in September 1786 to discuss amendments to the Articles of Confederation in order to improve commerce and trade. This was followed by an invitation to all the state representatives for a national convention in Philadelphia to discuss on matters involving making improvements in the federal government. Around 55 delegates and state representatives from 12 different states attended the convention. The only exception was Rhode Island, whose delegates arrived in May 1787 for the Convention.
During the Convention, a proposal was made to redefine and rewrite the US Constitution. At the same time, another resolution was made to draft a new fundamental government. Several proposals were made towards the formation of a new government. Prominent among these were the Virginia Plan proposed by James Madison, New Jersey Plan proposed by William Patterson and the Connecticut Compromise Plan proposed by Roger Sherman. The provision made under Article VII of the US Constitution requires that the constitution can come into effect if it is ratified by at least nine of the thirteen states. Accordingly the US Constitution was ratified by conventions held in each state in the name of “The People”.
The United States Constitution is an integral part of the United States’ Law and political structure. It contains 4,543 words along with the signatures. Till date, the US constitution has been amended twenty-seven times. The first ever document of the US Constitution was handwritten and is currently on display at the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington D.C.
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Year The Constitution Went Into Effect
