• Home >
  • Primary Sources >
  • Government >
  • Constitution >
  • U.S. Constitution Primer

TrendingHere are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.

Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?

The Twelve Dancing Princesses

Current Events This Week: January 2023

African Americans by the Numbers

Andersen’s Fairy Tales: Contents

The Celtic Twilight: A Teller of Tales

 

Balancing the rights of the federal government, the states, and individuals by Shmuel Ross U.S. Constitution Quizzes The Legislative Branch (Article I) The Excutive and Judicial Branches (Articles II and III) States, Amendments, Ratification (Articles IV–VII) Amendments 1–10 (the Bill of Rights) Amendments 11–27 Other U.S. Documents The Mayflower Compact The Declaration of Independence The Monroe Doctrine The Pledge of Allegiance

 

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

So begins the Constitution of the United States, written in 1787 to replace the nation’s first guiding document, the 1777 Articles of Confederation. The Federalists had been clamoring for a stronger central government, and the Constitution was designed to provide this while balancing it with the rights of individual states—both large and small—and individual citizens. To meet all these requirements, it set up a bicameral legislature and independent judicial and executive branches. Much of this had been proposed by James Madison in his Virginia Plan earlier that year. The Constitution was signed on September 17—now known as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day—and was submitted to the states for ratification. Over the course of the following three years, it was ratified by all thirteen states then existing. The first ten amendments—the Bill of Rights—were added by the first Congress and ratified in 1791, to more explicitly safeguard individual rights. The Constitution of the United States of America Introduction | Encyclopedia Article The Preamble | Commentary The Articles: I II III IV V VI VII | Commentary The Amendments | Commentary Signers of the Constitution Glossary of Constitutional Terms Writing and Ratification of the Constitution The Continental Congress The Constitutional Convention The Federalist Papers | About the Federalists The Anti-Federalists Anti-Federalist Writings Ratification by the States Precursors to the Constitution The Magna Carta (1215) | Encyclopedia Article The Mayflower Compact (Nov. 21, 1620) | Encyclopedia Article The Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776) | Encyclopedia Article The Articles of Confederation (Adopted Nov 15, 1777) | Encyclopedia Article The Virginia Plan (May 29, 1787) Celebrating the Constitution Constitution Day and Citizenship Day Back to the top  

Ratification by the States The draft (originally a preamble and seven Articles) was submitted to all thirteen states and was to become effective when ratified by nine states. It went into effect on the first Wednesday in March 1789, having been ratified by New Hampshire, the ninth state to approve, on June 21, 1788. The states ratified the Constitution in the following order: 1. Delaware December 7, 1787 2. Pennsylvania December 12, 1787 3. New Jersey December 18, 1787 4. Georgia January 2, 1788 5. Connecticut January 9, 1788 6. Massachusetts February 6, 1788 7. Maryland April 28, 1788 8. South Carolina May 23, 1788 9. New Hampshire June 21, 1788 10. Virginia June 25, 1788 11. New York July 26, 1788 12. North Carolina November 21, 1789 13. Rhode Island May 29, 1790 Back to the top

Signers of the United States Constitution

President and deputy from Virginia George Washington Delaware George Read Gunning Bedford, Jr. John Dickinson Richard Bassett Jacob Broom Maryland James McHenry Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Daniel Carroll Virginia John Blair James Madison Jr. North Carolina William Blount Richard Dobbs Spaight Hugh Williamson

South Carolina John Rutledge Charles Cotesworth Pinckney Charles Pinckney Pierce Butler Georgia William Few Abraham Baldwin New Hampshire John Langdon Nicholas Gilman Massachusetts Nathaniel Gorham Rufus King Connecticut William Samuel Johnson Roger Sherman

New York Alexander Hamilton New Jersey William Livingston David Brearley William Paterson Jonathan Dayton Pennsylvania Benjamin Franklin Thomas Mifflin Robert Morris George Clymer Thomas Fitzsimons Jared Ingersoll James Wilson Gouverneur Morris

 

.com/spot/constitutionday.html

Sources +

Our Common Sources

Balancing the rights of the federal government, the states, and individuals

So begins the Constitution of the United States, written in 1787 to replace the nation’s first guiding document, the 1777 Articles of Confederation. The Federalists had been clamoring for a stronger central government, and the Constitution was designed to provide this while balancing it with the rights of individual states—both large and small—and individual citizens. To meet all these requirements, it set up a bicameral legislature and independent judicial and executive branches. Much of this had been proposed by James Madison in his Virginia Plan earlier that year.

  • The Legislative Branch (Article I)
  • The Excutive and Judicial Branches (Articles II and III)
  • States, Amendments, Ratification (Articles IV–VII)
  • Amendments 1–10 (the Bill of Rights)
  • Amendments 11–27

Other U.S. Documents

  • The Mayflower Compact
  • The Declaration of Independence
  • The Monroe Doctrine
  • The Pledge of Allegiance

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

The Constitution was signed on September 17—now known as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day—and was submitted to the states for ratification. Over the course of the following three years, it was ratified by all thirteen states then existing. The first ten amendments—the Bill of Rights—were added by the first Congress and ratified in 1791, to more explicitly safeguard individual rights.

The Constitution of the United States of America

  • Introduction | Encyclopedia Article
  • The Preamble | Commentary
  • The Articles: I II III IV V VI VII | Commentary
  • The Amendments | Commentary
  • Signers of the Constitution
  • Glossary of Constitutional Terms

Writing and Ratification of the Constitution

  • The Continental Congress
  • The Constitutional Convention
  • The Federalist Papers | About the Federalists
  • The Anti-Federalists
  • Anti-Federalist Writings
  • Ratification by the States

Precursors to the Constitution

  • The Magna Carta (1215) | Encyclopedia Article
  • The Mayflower Compact (Nov. 21, 1620) | Encyclopedia Article
  • The Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776) | Encyclopedia Article
  • The Articles of Confederation (Adopted Nov 15, 1777) | Encyclopedia Article
  • The Virginia Plan (May 29, 1787)

Celebrating the Constitution

  • Constitution Day and Citizenship Day

Back to the top

Ratification by the States

The draft (originally a preamble and seven Articles) was submitted to all thirteen states and was to become effective when ratified by nine states. It went into effect on the first Wednesday in March 1789, having been ratified by New Hampshire, the ninth state to approve, on June 21, 1788. The states ratified the Constitution in the following order:

Signers of the United States Constitution

President and deputy

		from Virginia
  • George Washington

Delaware

  • George Read
  • Gunning Bedford, Jr.
  • John Dickinson
  • Richard Bassett
  • Jacob Broom

Maryland

  • James McHenry
  • Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer
  • Daniel Carroll

Virginia

  • John Blair
  • James Madison Jr.

North Carolina

  • William Blount
  • Richard Dobbs Spaight
  • Hugh Williamson

South Carolina

  • John Rutledge
  • Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
  • Charles Pinckney
  • Pierce Butler

Georgia

  • William Few
  • Abraham Baldwin

New Hampshire

  • John Langdon
  • Nicholas Gilman

Massachusetts

  • Nathaniel Gorham
  • Rufus King

Connecticut

  • William Samuel Johnson
  • Roger Sherman

New York

  • Alexander Hamilton

New Jersey

  • William Livingston
  • David Brearley
  • William Paterson
  • Jonathan Dayton

Pennsylvania

  • Benjamin Franklin
  • Thomas Mifflin
  • Robert Morris
  • George Clymer
  • Thomas Fitzsimons
  • Jared Ingersoll
  • James Wilson
  • Gouverneur Morris

 

.com/spot/constitutionday.html

Sources +

Our Common Sources

Our Common Sources

United States Documents

  • United States Documents

TrendingHere are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.

Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?

The Twelve Dancing Princesses

Current Events This Week: January 2023

African Americans by the Numbers

Andersen’s Fairy Tales: Contents

The Celtic Twilight: A Teller of Tales

TrendingHere are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.

Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?

The Twelve Dancing Princesses

Current Events This Week: January 2023

African Americans by the Numbers

Andersen’s Fairy Tales: Contents

The Celtic Twilight: A Teller of Tales

  • Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?
  • The Twelve Dancing Princesses
  • Current Events This Week: January 2023
  • African Americans by the Numbers
  • Andersen’s Fairy Tales: Contents
  • The Celtic Twilight: A Teller of Tales