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The Constitution of the United States
1787 to ...
"Every word of [a constitution] decides a question between power and liberty."
-- James Madison, 1792
It has succeeded remarkably. Although the scales wavered, the delicate balance between governmental power and individual liberty survived. Its flexibility remains a source of stability in a rapidly changing world. As an eloquent embodiment of the basic principles of government, it is quoted and copied at home and abroad. As a practical application of the "great essentials," the Constitution of the United States has withstood an unprecedented test well beyond 200 years.
The George Washington Copy of the Final Draft
Printed in September 1787 by John Dunlap and David Claypoole, in Philadelphia
They wanted every word to be right. Before it could be submitted to the national government, then meeting in New York City, the test of the Constitution needed to be proof-read one last time.
This copy of the final draft contains one final correction, said to be in George Washington's handwriting. Dunlap and Claypoole made the change in time for the New York stagecoach on September 18, 1787. Ten days later, the Congress asked each state to consider ratification; by June 1788, the required nine states had accepted the new constitution. |