Five Facts about the U.S. Constitution
This Thursday, America celebrates the 228th anniversary of the signing of our Constitution. In honor of that important day, here are five Constitution facts you should know.
1. In the Beginning
The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, and ratified by the necessary nine states in 1788. Outlining a new method of cohesive governance among the states, the Constitution did not originally contain a list of individual rights. This troubled many of the framers and delegates. Thus, a list of ten amendments outlining individual rights—known as the Bill of Rights—was added to the Constitution in 1791.
2. We Were the First
The U.S. Constitution is the oldest and shortest of all written national constitutions.
3. Constitutional Controversy and the Power of Press
Before ratification, the idea of a Constitution was extremely controversial. While the Federalists (the first political party of the United States) supported the Constitution, the Anti-Federalists (the opposing party) did not. Anti-Federalists feared that a Constitution would give the central, or federal, government too much power, limiting the freedom of the states and individuals. (Before and after ratification, the Anti-Federalists strongly advocated adding a Bill of Rights to ensure the liberty of individuals.)
To boost support for state ratification of the proposed Constitution, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay wrote an anonymous series of essays called the Federalist Papers in 1787 and 1788, in which they argued the benefits of a national Constitution. It must have helped, since the Constitution received ratification by the required number of states in 1788.
4. Young, Old, and In Between
The average age of the framers of the Constitution was approximately 40 years old. However, the oldest delegate at the Constitutional Convention was Benjamin Franklin at 81, and the youngest was Jonathan Dayton of New Jersey at 26.
5. Nope, Not Here
The phrase, “separation of church and state” does not actually appear in the U.S. Constitution. The phrase does appear in a letter from Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802, more than ten years after the Bill of Rights (which includes the First Amendment and its Establishment Clause) was written.
