How did we get the Constitution?

Soon after the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the States adopted a new form of government. The new government had a constitution called the Articles of Confederation. This government lasted through the Revolution and for a few years afterwards.

The Articles of Confederation government proved to be too weak. It lacked the power necessary to create a stable government and society. It lacked the power to deal with foreign governments. Within a few years the country was on the verge of collapse.

Many people in the colonies recognized that in order for the new nation to survive it needed a new form of government. The states decided to send representatives, called delegates, to meet together to change and improve the Articles of Confederation. They met in Philadelphia in 1787. We now call this meeting the Constitutional Convention.

As the delegates met it quickly became apparent that the Articles of Confederation needed to be completely replaced. They spent the entire summer of 1787 debating and discussing a new form of government. The delegates understood that the fate of the new nation depended on the outcome of their meeting. They had many different ideas, and they didn’t always agree, but in the end their hard work paid off with the completion of the the United States Constitution.

When the United States Constitution was finished, it had to be approved (ratified) by 9 of the 13 states to become the law of the land. This occurred on June 21, 1788. Eventually it was approved by all 13 of the states. Since that time it has been the governing document of the United States.

Published October 25, 2016