History of the US Constitution
From WikiDemocracy
History of the United States Constitution
The United States Constitution has served as the supreme law of the United States since taking effect in 1789. The document was written at the 1787 Philadelphia Convention and was ratified through a series of state conventions held in 1787 and 1788. Since 1789, the Constitution has been amended twenty-seven times; particularly important amendments include the ten amendments of the United States Bill of Rights, the three Reconstruction Amendments, and the Nineteenth Amendment.
The Constitution grew out of efforts to reform the Articles of Confederation, an earlier constitution which provided for a loose alliance of states with a weak central government. From May 1787 through September 1787, delegates from twelve of the thirteen states convened in Philadelphia, where they wrote a new constitution. Two alternative plans were developed at the convention. The nationalist majority, soon to be called "Federalists", put forth the Virginia Plan, a consolidated government based on proportional representation[a] among the states by population. The "old patriots", later called "Anti-Federalists", advocated the New Jersey Plan, a purely federal proposal, based on providing each state with equal representation. The Connecticut Compromise allowed for both plans to work together. Other controversies developed regarding slavery and a Bill of Rights in the original document.
Historian Jill Lepore explores the Constitution and its interpretations in ‘We the People’
by Geoff Bennett 19/9/25 PBS NEWS
Originalism is often countered by the idea that the Constitution is a living, breathing document meant to be interpreted and changed along with the times. Jill Lepore is a historian at Harvard University and author of the new book, “We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution.” Geoff Bennett sat down with Lepore for our series, On Democracy.
Introduction
In the years following World War I, America was gripped by the fear that the Communist Revolution that had taken place in Russia would spread to the United States. As is often the case when fear outweighs rational debate, civil liberties paid the price. In November 1919 and January 1920, in what notoriously became known as the “Palmer Raids,” Attorney General Mitchell Palmer began rounding up and deporting so-called radicals. Thousands of people were arrested without warrants and without regard to constitutional protections against unlawful search and seizure. Those arrested were brutally treated and held in horrible conditions.
The Bill of Rights: A Brief History
In the summer of 1787, delegates from the 13 states convened in Philadelphia and drafted a remarkable blueprint for self-government -- the Constitution of the United States. The first draft set up a system of checks and balances that included a strong executive branch, a representative legislature and a federal judiciary.
Defend the rights of all people nationwide
The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union — beyond one person, party, or side. Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.
Race, Class, and the Constitutional Convention
Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow. 2025. 36 pages.
This is a unit with three lessons. The first invites students to think critically about key issues that confronted the framers of the Constitution — examining the perspectives not only of the elites attending the actual Constitutional Convention, but also of enslaved African Americans, poor white farmers, and white workers.
We the Elites: Why the U.S. Constitution Serves the Few
This collection of essays exposes the U.S. Constitution for what it really is — a rulebook to protect capitalism for the elites.
The Federalist and the Republican Party
By the time Alexander Hamilton died on the dueling grounds of Weehawken, New Jersey, the power of the Federalist Party was in terminal decline. Federalism was born in 1787, when Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison wrote 85 essays collectively known as the Federalist papers. These eloquent political documents encouraged Americans to adopt the newly-written Constitution and its stronger central government.
Why does the U.S. have presidential term limits? The history of the 22nd Amendment
This tradition was established by the decisions of early presidents such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison not to seek a third term. This tradition was later adopted by other presidents.
Sept. 17, 1787: U.S. Constitution Signed
The U.S. Constitution endorsed slavery and favored the interests of the owning classes. What kind of Constitution would have resulted from founders who were representative of the entire country?
Teach Truth on Constitution Day
Each September, schools across the country celebrate Constitution Day — students create posters praising the document, watch patriotic videos, or recite the Preamble — rather than engage in critical inquiry. These rituals present the Constitution as a sacred text, not a document created and amended through struggle. From liberal to conservative circles, Constitution Day is too often framed as a celebration of “American exceptionalism” rather than an invitation to think critically about the rights the Constitution guarantees — and the ones it doesn’t.
Hamilton and the U.S. Constitution
In May 1787, the democratic government that had emerged from the American Revolution was only eight years old. But already, it threatened to crumble. Although the Articles of Confederation had organized the 13 states into a loose union, the Articles proved inadequate to the task of effectively governing that union.
June 13, 1866: 14th Amendment Passed
by ZINN EDUCATION PROJECT 1865
On June 13, 1866, the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed. This Amendment, known as the one of the three Reconstruction Amendments, granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States.” The 14th Amendment forbid states to deny any person “life, liberty, or property, without due process of law” or to deny any person “equal protection of the laws.” The amendment was adopted on July 9, 1868. See a full copy of 14th Amendment at the National Archives.
Immigrants’ Rights Advocates Sue Trump Administration Over Birthright Citizenship Executive Order
The case was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of New Hampshire, ACLU of Maine, ACLU of Massachusetts, Asian Law Caucus, State Democracy Defenders Fund, and Legal Defense Fund on behalf of organizations with members whose babies born on U.S. soil will be denied citizenship under the order, including New Hampshire Indonesian Community Support, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and Make the Road New York.
Mary Beth Tinker on Constitution Day
by ZINN EDUCATION PROJECT 5/9/25
In preparation for Teach Truth on Constitution Day in 2025, a consortium of groups produced an instruction video for teachers called Teach Truth on Constitution Day Planning Session for Educators — Our Freedoms, Our Futures. The video opened with remarks from free speech activitist Mary Beth Tinker (Tinker v. Des Moines). Representatives from the NEA, the American Constitution Society, Zinn Education Project, and AFT’s Share My Lesson shared examples of teaching resources on the Constitution.
March 30, 1870: Fifteenth Amendment
On March 30, 1870, the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution was formally adopted. It had been ratified on February 3, 1870 as the third and last of the Reconstruction Amendments. On March 30, Secretary of State Hamilton Fish proclaimed the 15th Amendment to be officially part of the U.S. Constitution.
Hundreds of Teachers Sign Up to Teach Truth on Constitution Day
by ZINN EDUCATION PROJECT 9/9/25
We have heard from teachers in every state and territory except (so far) North Dakota. In preparation for the day, the National Education Association, the American Constitution Society, Zinn Education Project, and AFT’s Share My Lesson hosted a webinar with introductory remarks by free speech activitist Mary Beth Tinker (Tinker v. Des Moines).
Trump’s disregard for US constitution ‘a blitzkrieg on the law’, legal experts say
by Steven Greenhouse 1/2/25 The Guardian
Donald Trump’s rapid-fire and controversial moves that have ranged from banning birthright citizenship to firing 18 inspectors general means the US president has shown a greater willingness than his predecessors to violate the constitution and federal law, some historians and legal scholars say.
The Court and Democracy
The Supreme Court plays a crucial but paradoxical role in American democracy. Many Americans think of it as the head of the least democratic branch of the federal government, designed by the framers of the U.S. Constitution to protect vulnerable minorities against the tyranny of the majority. From the decisions protecting the free speech of accused Communists in the Cold War era to the recent decisions protecting the rights of suspected terrorists after 9/11, the Court, at its best, has often appeared to defend fundamental principles of freedom and equality in the face of popular opposition. Nearly all of the most controversial issues in American politics -- from school prayer and gay rights to affirmative action and abortion -- end up before the Court, and justices are appointed for life precisely so they can consider these issues in constitutional rather than political terms.
