Existing comment:
1789: The Constitution:
The Constitution delineate structures and functions of a federal government, and strengthened the foundation for a government of law.
Many proponents of a stronger national government believed that the loose union of states established by the Articles of Confederation in 1781 had proved to be, in Washington's words, a "half-starved, limping Government." They gathered in Philadelphia in May of 1787 and, in secret sessions, decided to abandon the Articles of Confederation and draft a constitution.
After spiriting public debate, and an agreement to add amendments protecting individuals' liberties and states' rights, eleven states ratified the Constitution in 1787-88; the last two joined them in 1789 and 1790. On April 30, 1789, George Washington became the nation's first president. |