The Road to the Making of the Constitution
1584-1732 Colonies come into existence. The thirteen original colonies (Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Virginia) come into existence and write constitutions that establish various forms of democratic governments. The English first came to Virginia in 1584 and established a government in 1607. In 1732, Georgia became the thirteenth British colony in America.
1754 First try at acting as one country. The Colonists meet to discuss how to protect themselves from increased Indian uprisings. Benjamin Franklin suggests they form some kind of unified group, but neither the colonists nor the British rulers like the idea.
1765 Stamp Congress. Nine of the thirteen colonies met in New York to send a letter to Great Britain protesting the Stamp Act, which was a tax on many things, including letters and playing cards. This meeting in New York became known as the Stamp Congress. At the same time, a group called the Sons of Liberty was forming in almost all of the colonies and they were calling for independence from Great Britain.
1774 The First Continental Congress. Twelve of the thirteen colonies (Georgia did not attend) met in Philadelphia to discuss the many ways they felt that Great Britain was being unfair to them. Mostly, they did not like the taxes Great Britain was making them pay. There had been several protests in many of the colonies, including the famous Boston Tea Party in 1773.
1775 The Revolutionary War Begins. There was no declaration of war. It began with militias in some of the colonies, notably in Concord and Lexington Massachusetts, having some fights with the British troops. The Second Continental Congress meets after these battles and begins to form an army. George Washington is appointed Commander-in-Chief. The Second Continental Congress tries to reach a peaceful solution with Great Britain but the king refuses.
1776 Declaration of Independence. Thomas Paine writes and distributes Common Sense, which calls for independence from Great Britain. The Second Continental Congress writes and signs the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War escalates. (The men who wrote and signed the Declaration founded our country and are called the Founders.)
1777 The Articles of Confederation. The Second Continental Congress writes the Articles of Confederation, the first governing document for the United States of America. There were no executive or judicial branches. There is no way for the new government to tax people to raise money or any authority to coin money.
1781 The United States of America. The thirteen colonies accept the Articles of Confederation and the newly named United States of America wins the Revolutionary War.
1781-1787 The Articles of Confederation prove to be too weak. Without the right to tax, to coin money, to settle fights between the states, to regulate trade or to have a military, the national government has no power. It is clear that the United States is a poor, powerless country that could be attacked at any time, especially by Great Britain, who would like to make us colonies once again.
1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Men from every state but Rhode Island gather in Philadelphia to talk about how to improve the Articles of Confederation. But amid much secrecy, the men soon realize that the Articles are not worth saving and they begin to write or “frame” a new constitution. Hence, they are called the Framers. On September 17, 1787, the Framers signed our Constitution.
1787-1788 The fight to get the states to accept the Constitution. People like James Madison had to do a lot of writing and talking to convince the states that the new constitution was a good idea. In the end, it took a promise of a Bill of Rights to get most of the states to vote for the new constitution
1788-1791 Bill of Rights. As promised by the Framers, a Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, was written and added to the Constitution.
1791-2006 The Constitution continues to evolve. Seventeen more amendments are added to the Constitution to ensure rights for those left out of the original Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It took a Civil War to get some added and a Women’s Suffrage Movement for another. Every year, the Supreme Court of the United States assists us in learning how our Constitution protects the rights so highly valued by the colonists almost 400 years ago when they first came to our shores.
2005 Constitution Day. It becomes law that every school must celebrate Constitution Day every year on September 17, that day in 1787 when the Framers signed the Constitution.
Go to www.constitutioncenter.org and www.archives.gov for more information.