Constitutional Convention
Today in History: Constitution Finalized and Signed
Today in 1787, representatives in Philadelphia signed the finalized United States Constitution. This occurred after a summer filled with contrasting proposals and rigorous debate. The convention decided upon a league of states rather than a national government,...
Today in History: The Philadelphia Convention Scheduled to Begin
Today in 1787, delegates from the several states convened in Philadelphia to form a convention with the initial aim of proposing amendments to the Articles of Confederation. A number of delegates were not present on May 14, mostly due to the difficulty of travel in...
Today in History: The General Government Inaugurated Under the Constitution
Today in history, on March 4th, 1789, the general government under the United States Constitution went into effect. The occasion represented the end of a bitter ratification struggle that involved every corner of the fledgling states, and the beginning of a new...
The Founders’ Promises About What the Federal Government Could NOT Do
The Constitution created a federal government with powers that, as James Madison said, were “few and defined.” Yet today the feds have their paws in almost every pocket of American life. How did that happen? One reason is that if you don’t know much about the...