US Constitution History

The U.S. Constitution

• The U.S. Constitution was created in September 1787 and is the oldest written constitution still in effect.
• The Constitution was drafted during a period of ineffective national government under the Articles of Confederation.
• The document was created through a series of compromises among factions that favored a strong federal government, states with different economic interests, and those concerned about the distribution of power among states.

Influences on the Constitution

• The writings of John Locke, a 17th-century English political philosopher, greatly influenced political thought in the American colonies.
• Locke asserted that people possess natural rights granted by God, including the right to life, liberty, and property, which lead people to form a government to protect their common interests.

The American Revolution

• The Seven Years' War (1756-1763) led to Britain's gain of ownership of all American land east of the Mississippi River, but also forced Britain to the brink of bankruptcy.
• To increase revenue, the British Parliament imposed taxes on the American colonies, which led to colonists viewing increased taxation as a violation of their individual rights and the social contract.
• The Boston Massacre (1770) and the Boston Tea Party (1773) exacerbated tension between colonists and Britain.
• The Declaration of Independence (1776) reflected the Lockean view of the colonists' right to self-governance and the individual right to "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

The Articles of Confederation

• The Articles of Confederation provided for a weak central government and strong self-governing states.
• The national government lacked the power of taxation, a standing army, or navy, and was prohibited from imposing tariffs or regulating interstate commerce.
• The Articles of Confederation required the approval of all thirteen colonies and were ratified in 1781.

The Constitutional Convention

• The Constitutional Convention was held in 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation, but the delegates decided to scrap the Articles and form a new government.
• Two competing plans, the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan, were proposed for the national government.
• The Great Compromise resolved the debate over representation in the national legislature, providing for a bicameral legislature with representation in the House of Representatives based on population and equal representation in the Senate.

The Constitution

• The Constitution divided the national government into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial.
• The Constitution established a federal system of government, dividing power between the national government and the states.
• The Constitution has undergone 27 amendments since its adoption, with the first 10 amendments collectively known as the Bill of Rights.

Ratification of the Constitution

• The Constitution required the ratification of nine out of the thirteen states to enter into force.
• Delegates to state ratification conventions debated the merits of the Constitution, with Federalists favoring ratification and Anti-Federalists opposing it.
• The Constitution came into effect on March 4, 1789, after New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it.

The Creation of the U.S. Constitution

• The U.S. Constitution was created in September 1787, making it the oldest written constitution still in effect today.
• The Constitution was drafted by the Framers during a period of ineffective national government under the Articles of Confederation.
• The document was created through a series of significant compromises among factions with differing views on federal government, state governments, and individual rights.

Influences on the Constitution

• The writings of John Locke, a 17th-century English political philosopher, greatly influenced political thought in the American colonies.
• Locke asserted that people possess natural rights granted by God, including the right to life, liberty, and property.
• Locke's ideas conflicted with the long-held belief in England and most of Europe that God had granted temporal power to a hereditary monarchy.

The American Revolution and the Articles of Confederation

• The American Revolution was sparked by Britain's imposition of new taxes on the American colonies, denying them elected representation in Parliament.
• The Declaration of Independence, signed on July 4, 1776, reflected the Lockean view of the colonists' right to self-governance and individual rights.
• Following the American Revolution, the Articles of Confederation were ratified in 1781, providing for a weak central government with limited powers.

The Problems with the Articles of Confederation

• The national government lacked the power of taxation, leading to financial difficulties and an inability to raise a standing army or navy.
• The national currency was worthless, and interstate commerce was crippled due to the lack of regulation and tariffs.
• The national government failed to protect American ships from piracy and could not control the country's western frontier.

The Constitutional Convention

• In 1787, a convention was called to revise the Articles of Confederation, but the delegates decided to scrap the document and create a new government.
• Two competing plans were proposed: the Virginia Plan, which provided for a bicameral national legislature with representation based on population, and the New Jersey Plan, which provided for a unicameral national legislature with equal representation from each state.
• The Great Compromise was proposed, which called for a bicameral legislature with representation in the House based on population and equal representation in the Senate.

The Three-Fifths Compromise

• The delegates debated whether enslaved people should count towards the population of each state for purposes of congressional apportionment.
• The Three-Fifths Compromise resolved the dispute, stating that each state's population would be considered the total number of free citizens plus three-fifths of the total number of slaves.

The Structure of the Constitution

• The Constitution divides the national government into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial.
• The legislative branch, comprised of the House of Representatives and the Senate, has the power to make laws.
• The executive branch, headed by the President, is responsible for enforcing laws.
• The judicial branch, comprised of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts, tries cases arising under federal laws.

Ratification of the Constitution

• The Constitution was approved by the Constitutional Convention in September 1787 but required ratification by nine out of thirteen states to enter into force.
• The document was ratified by New Hampshire in June 1788, followed by Virginia and New York, making the Constitution effective on March 4, 1789.

The Bill of Rights

• In 1789, Congress proposed twelve amendments to the Constitution, primarily to address concerns of Anti-Federalists related to individual liberties and federal power.
• State legislatures ratified ten of the twelve proposed amendments, collectively known as the Bill of Rights.

Amendments to the Constitution

• The Constitution has been amended twenty-seven times since its ratification in 1789.
• Article V provides for the proposal and ratification of amendments, requiring a two-thirds approval in Congress or a national convention, followed by approval by three-quarters of state legislatures or state ratifying conventions.