United States Constitution, 1789.
The U.S. Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation, and created a strong federal government.
The Constitution was ratified based on the promise that amendments (the Bill of Rights), protecting individual rights and liberties, would quickly follow.
The U.S. Constitution was written during the Philadelphia Convention of 1787, a secret meeting intended to revise the failing Articles of Confederation. Instead, delegates like James Madison drafted an entirely new framework for a stronger federal government.
The convention was marked by fierce debate between large and small states, resolved by the Great Compromise, which created a bicameral Congress. Other critical compromises, notably regarding slavery, were also forged. After four months of deliberation, the document was signed on September 17, 1787.
Its ratification was not certain, sparking intense public debate between Federalists, who supported it, and Anti-Federalists, who demanded a Bill of Rights, which was added in 1791.
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