<\/p>\n
The Constitution of the\u00a0United States\u00a0of America<\/a> is signed by 38 of 41 delegates present at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Supporters of the document waged a hard-won battle to win ratification by the necessary nine out of 13 U.S. states.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Articles of Confederation, ratified several months before the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781, provided for a loose confederation of U.S. states, which were sovereign in most of their affairs. On paper, Congress–the central authority–had the power to govern foreign affairs, conduct war, and regulate currency, but in practice these powers were sharply limited because Congress was given no authority to enforce its requests to the states for money or troops. By 1786, it was apparent that the Union would soon break up if the Articles of Confederation were not amended or replaced. Five states met in Annapolis,\u00a0Maryland<\/a>, to discuss the issue, and all the states were invited to send delegates to a new constitutional convention to be held in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n On May 25, 1787, delegates representing every state except\u00a0Rhode Island<\/a>\u00a0convened at Philadelphia’s\u00a0Pennsylvania<\/a>\u00a0State House for the Constitutional Convention. The building, which is now known as Independence Hall, had earlier seen the drafting of the\u00a0Declaration of Independence\u00a0and the signing of the Articles of Confederation. The assembly immediately discarded the idea of amending the Articles of Confederation and set about drawing up a new scheme of government.\u00a0Revolutionary War\u00a0hero\u00a0George Washington, a delegate from\u00a0Virginia<\/a>, was elected convention president.<\/p>\n During an intensive debate, the delegates devised a brilliant federal organization characterized by an intricate system of checks and balances. The convention was divided over the issue of state representation in Congress, as more-populated states sought proportional legislation, and smaller states wanted equal representation. The problem was resolved by the\u00a0Connecticut<\/a>\u00a0Compromise, which proposed a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the lower house (House of Representatives) and equal representation of the states in the upper house (Senate).<\/p>\n On September 17, 1787, the Constitution was signed. As dictated by Article VII, the document would not become binding until it was ratified by nine of the 13 states. Beginning on December 7, five states–Delaware<\/a>, Pennsylvania,\u00a0New Jersey<\/a>,\u00a0Georgia<\/a>, and Connecticut–ratified it in quick succession. However, other states, especially\u00a0Massachusetts<\/a>, opposed the document, as it failed to reserve undelegated powers to the states and lacked constitutional protection of basic political rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. In February 1788, a compromise was reached under which Massachusetts and other states would agree to ratify the document with the assurance that amendments would be immediately proposed. The Constitution was thus narrowly ratified in Massachusetts, followed by Maryland and\u00a0South Carolina<\/a>. On June 21, 1788,\u00a0New Hampshire<\/a>\u00a0became the ninth state to ratify the document, and it was subsequently agreed that government under the\u00a0U.S. Constitution\u00a0would begin on March 4, 1789. In June, Virginia ratified the Constitution, followed by\u00a0New York<\/a>\u00a0in July.<\/p>\n