[United States Senate Manual, 116th Congress]
[S. Doc. 116-1]
[Historical Documents]
[Pages 551-552]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 551]]
                                       [1710]
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                    CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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                                HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

                In May 1785, a committee of Congress made a report 
            recommending an alteration in the Articles of Confederation, 
            but no action was taken on it, and it was left to the State 
            Legislatures to proceed in the matter. In January 1786, the 
            Legislature of Virginia passed a resolution providing for 
            the appointment of five commissioners, who, or any three of 
            them, should meet such commissioners as might be appointed 
            in the other States of the Union, at a time and place to be 
            agreed upon, to take into consideration the trade of the 
            United States; to consider how far a uniform system in their 
            commercial regulations may be necessary to their common 
            interest and their permanent harmony; and to report to the 
            several States such an act, relative to this great object, 
            as, when ratified by them, will enable the United States in 
            Congress effectually to provide for the same.
                The Virginia commissioners, after some correspondence, 
            fixed the first Monday in September as the time, and the 
            city of Annapolis as the place for the meeting, but only 
            four other States were represented, viz: Delaware, New York, 
            New Jersey, and Pennsylvania; the commissioners appointed by 
            Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Rhode 
            Island failed to attend. Under the circumstances of so 
            partial a representation, the commissioners present agreed 
            upon a report (drawn by Mr. Hamilton, of New York), 
            expressing their unanimous conviction that it might 
            essentially tend to advance the interests of the Union if 
            the States by which they were respectively delegated would 
            concur, and use their endeavors to procure the concurrence 
            of the other States, in the appointment of commissioners to 
            meet at Philadelphia on the second Monday of May following, 
            to take into consideration the situation of the United 
            States; to devise such further provisions as should appear 
            to them necessary to render the Constitution of the Federal 
            Government adequate to the exigencies of the Union; and to 
            report such an act for that purpose to the United States in 
            Congress assembled as, when agreed to by them and afterwards 
            confirmed by the Legislatures of every State, would 
            effectually provide for the same.
                Congress, on the 21st of February, 1787, adopted a 
            resolution in favor of a convention, and the Legislatures of 
            those States which had not already done so (with the 
            exception of Rhode Island) promptly appointed delegates. On 
            the 25th of May, seven States having convened, George 
            Washington, of Virginia, was unanimously elected President, 
            and the consideration of the proposed constitution was 
            commenced. On the 17th of September, 1787, the Constitution 
            as engrossed and agreed upon was signed by all the members 
            present, except Mr. Gerry, of Massachu

[[Page 552]]

            setts, and Messrs. Mason and Randolph, of Virginia. The 
            president of the convention transmitted it to Congress, with 
            a resolution stating how the proposed Federal Government 
            should be put in operation, and an explanatory letter. 
            Congress, on the 28th of September, 1787, directed the 
            Constitution so framed, with the resolutions and letter 
            concerning the same, to ``be transmitted to the several 
            Legislatures in order to be submitted to a convention of 
            delegates chosen in each State by the people thereof, in 
            conformity to the resolves of the convention.''
                On the 4th of March, 1789, the day which had been fixed 
            for commencing the operations of Government under the new 
            Constitution, it had been ratified by the conventions chosen 
            in each State to consider it, as follows: Delaware, December 
            7, 1787; Pennsylvania, December 12, 1787; New Jersey, 
            December 19, 1787; Georgia, January 2, 1788; Connecticut, 
            January 9, 1788; Massachusetts, February 6, 1788; Maryland, 
            April 28, 1788; South Carolina, May 23, 1788; New Hampshire, 
            June 21, 1788; Virginia, June 25, 1788; and New York, July 
            26, 1788.
                The President informed Congress, on the 28th of January, 
            1790, that North Carolina had ratified the Constitution 
            November 21, 1789; and he informed Congress on the 1st of 
            June, 1790, that Rhode Island had ratified the Constitution 
            May 29, 1790. Vermont, in convention, ratified the 
            Constitution January 10, 1791, and was, by an act of 
            Congress approved February 18, 1791, ``received and admitted 
            into this Union as a new and entire member of the United 
            States.''
            constitution of the united states