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Articles of Confederation ratified
Articles of ConfederationFormally known as the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, this document was the first written constitution of the United States. In June 1776, a committee was appointed to draft this document. In November 1777, it was submitted to the states for ratification. This document was commonly termed too weak for the country, as under it, the states kept all the powers not delegated specifically to the federal government. A big problem was the fact that the Articles could not levy a tax. -
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Confederation to Constitution
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Treaty of Paris signed
Treaty of ParisThis treaty formally ended the American Revolution between Britain and the United States (other treaties were signed with France and the Dutch). The treaty was signed in Hotel d'York by John Adams, John Jay, and Benjamin Franklin. It recognized the US as a separate nation and set boundaries, granted the US fishing rights in Newfoundland, gave both Britain and the US access to the Mississippi River, protected American Loyalists, and allowed all pre-war debts to be paid back to Britain. -
Shays' Rebellion
Daniel Shays was a Revolutionary War veteran who resigned from the army unpaid after being wounded. When he returned home, he found himself in court for unpaid debts. He realized he was not alone and formed an army of people rebelling against debt in Massachusettes. Jefferson, who was in France at the time, was pleased, saying, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time...it is a natural manure." People were alarmed, however, and a meeting was held to strengthen the Articles. -
Constitutional Convention
In spring of 1787, 55 men representing 12 states met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. These men included George Washington, James Madison, George Mason, Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin. As soon as it opened on May 25, they guarded the doorways and made secrecy a top priority. They also ended up deciding that only a majority of states needed to ratify the new constitution. The convention ended on Septmeber 17, 1787. -
Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance provided a new structure for the government of the Northwest Territory. It authorized the creation of between 3 to 5 territories, eached to be ruled by a governor, a secretary, and 3 judges appointed by Congress. When the population ofa territory reached 5000, voters who owned property could elect an assembly but its decisions were subject to government veto. When the population reached 60,000 they could write a constitution and petition for statehood. -
Constitution Put Into Effect
Despite pleas from the Antifederalists, most states quickly adopted the Constitution. Delaware was the first to ratify the document, and within eight months, eight of the nine states required to launch the new government had ratified the document. Mid 1788 the ninth state required ratified the constitution. In May of 1790, the last state ratified the consitution. -
Last State to Ratify the Constitution
Rhode Island was the last state to ratify the Ccnstitution of the United States. It ratified the document on May 29, 1790. The vote to ratify the Constituion had been very close. -
Bill of Rights
The list of fundamental rights varied from state to state but most Antifederalists demanded specific guarantees for jury trial and freedom of religion. They wanted prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishments. There was also considerable, though not universal, support for freedom of speech and freedom of the press. James Madison carefully reviewed these recommendations and a committee compressed and revised his ideas into ten amendments and became known as the Bill of Rights.
